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Behold,  these  shall  come  from  far: 
And,  lo,  these  from  the  north 
and  from  the  west: 

And  these  from 

THE  LAND  OF  SINIM. 
Arise,  shine; 

for  thy  light  is  come, 

And  the  glory  of  the  Lord 
is  risen  upon  thee. 

For,  behold,  the  darkness 

shall  cover  the  earth, 

And  gross  darkness 
the  people: 

But  the  Lord  shall  arise 
upon  thee. 

And  His  glory  shall  be  seen 
upon  thee. 


OO  ytLy  J&zav 


Wko  been  a true  b^lpmeat  all  these  years, 
i/’bis  little  volume  is  affectionately  inscribed. 


Price  for  copies  15c.  Proceeds  to  be  applied  for 
purchase  of  Chinese  Bibles  and  Testaments  to  replace 
those  destroyed  by  fire-  Address 

REV.  I.  M.  CONDIT, 

Pacific  Grove,  Cal. 


LANGUAGE 
L IT ERA TURK 


RELIGIONS 

AX  J> 

EVOLUT  ION 

OF 

CHINA 


REV.  IRA  M . CON  It  IT.  9>. 


I>. 


AlTTHOtt  OK  THE  CHINAMAN  AS  WE  SEE  HIM,”  ENGLISH  A? 
CHINESE  READERS,’ 5 * ENGLISH  AND  CHINESE 

DICTIONARY,”  ^ GREAT  TRUTHS,”  ETC, 


OAKLAND,  CAL. 


NOTE 

value  whh-h  fest  passing  out  from  the  old  into  the  new.  The 

den4d  v ew  ^hat  ft!?”  ?re  sfuPPosed  to  have  i.  in  the  con- 
Tf;?  ?]evi  “ at  the*v  £lve  ot  these  two  phases  of  her  life 
The  first  two  present  a little  insight  into  old  China’s  history 

rhlethe  third  «&w.  the  development  oHhV 
light  of  modern^ wonderfu11.'-  coming  into  the 

My  friends  have  some  of  them  been  interested  in  the  r»a- 
pers,  and  I have  thought  they  might  be  of  benefit  to  othePr< 
and  perhaps  to  the  Mission  Study  Classes,  who  may  wi^h  to 
^ T f I1  a 1iUt  Shel  •’  the  matters  °f  which  thev  treat  * 
fTof  ake  P^?ure  in  acknowledging  help  from  the  writings  of 

en?lygfdenhfi^eSeTth^arj  Wh°  has  s*  ^ng  anYprolin- 
L L ^dentlfied  Wlth  China,— Rev.  W.  A.  P.  Martin,  D.  I>. 

Oakland,  Cal.  T M c 


I 

THE 

LANGUAGE  AND  LITERATURE 
OF  CHINA 


he  Chinese  language  without  doubt  is  the 

Omost  ancient  one  now  spoken.  With  the 
exception  of  the  Hebrew,  it  is  also  the 
oldest  written  language  in  the  world. 

The  formation  of  their  characters  goes  back  to 
a Yei'37  early  period,  which  cannot  be 
Origin  of  less  than  2205  years  before  Christ. 
Characters  orcjer  to  have  a better  mode  of  re- 
cording facts  and  ideas  than  the  knotted  cords 


then  in  use,  resort  was  made  to  an  imitation 
of  the  various  forms  of  nature.  Rude  symbols 
were  brst  used  for  the  sun,  moon,  hills,  animals, 
parts  of  the  body,  and  other  objects  in  nature. 
The  pristine  forms  are  modified  to  suit  the  use  of 
pen,  ink  and  paper,  instead  of  the  iron  style  and 
bamboo  tablet  first  employed.  Square  forms  and 
angular  strokes  gradually  took  the  place  of  round 
and  curved  ones.  The  sun  was  originally  repre- 
sented by  a circle  with  a dot  in  the  center  for  its 
spots,  and  the  moon  by  tw  o curved  lines  show- 
ing it  at  its  quarter.  The  mouth  w7as  represented 
by  a plain  circle.  Now  in  these  and  many  others, 
the  circles  are  squared,  and  the  curved  lines  are 
straightened.  The  character  for  man  is  an  up- 
right stroke  for  the  body,  branching  down  into 
two  strokes  for  the  legs.  A tree  is  an  upright 
stroke  for  the  trunk  and  two  cross  ones  for  the 


5 


branches.  A carriage  is  an  upright  stroke  for  the 
axle,  two  cross  ones  at  the  end  for  the  wheels,  and 
a square  between  for  the  body.  A horizontal 
stroke  and  three  upright  ones  of  unequal  length  is 
for  mountains.  The  resemblance  between  these 
and  the  object  is  quite  clear,  as  is  also  the  case 
with  many  others  I might  cite. 

From  these  simple  object-pictures,  the  next  step 
was  a combination  to  form  ideas. 
Characters  ^ horizontal  stroke  for  the  horizon 
om  me  an(]  the  sun  above  it,  makes  the 
character  for  morning.  Sun  and  moon  combined, 
is  the  character  for  bright.  A square  for  four 
walls  with  a man  in  the  centre,  is  the  one  for  pris- 
oner. One  and  man  combined — the  one  man — the 
Emperor,  is  the  character  for  great.  Another  one 
stroke  added — the  one  great,  is  the  character  for 
Heaven.  Two  characters  for  tree  combined,  is  a 
forest.  Mouth  and  four  strokes  above  it,  is 
A mouth  and  a dog,  is  to  bark.  A pig 
roof,  is  the  idea  of  home  or  family.  A 
beside  a pig  under  a roof,  is  the  idea  of 
marriage  for  woman.  A different  character  is 
used  for  the  marriage  of  man.  It  is  composed  of 
two  characters,  one  to  take,  and  the  other,  a girl 
— to  take  a girl.  A woman  beside  a broom  means 
a wife.  A woman  under  a roof  is  the  idea  of  rest, 
and  two  women,  a quarrel.  Water  and  every- 
where, makes  the  character  for  sea.  A mouth  and 
a lamb — a lamblike  mouth — is  the  one  for  good. 
Words  between  two  dogs  is  a lawsuit. 

These  examples  serve  to  show  how  the  Chinese 
characters,  from  the  germ  of  simple  objects,  have 
grown  up  through  complex  combinations,  into  a 
written  language  expressing  all  the  various  con- 
ceptions of  the  mind. 


words, 
under  a 
woman 


6 


But  while  the  language  had  its  origin  in  these 
primitive  objects  and  their  combinations,  it  would 
be  a great  mistake  to  suppose  that  this  applies 
to  the  whole  range  of  characters.  Those  in  which 
a plain  resemblance  can  be  traced  to  the  original 
objects  represented,  are  only  about  600;  and  only 
some  840  compose  those  formed  by  a combina- 
tion of  the  primitive  symbols,  so  as  to  express 
ideas  and  thought. 

At  this  point  those  who  used  the  language, 
either  saw  how  cumbrous  this  would  become,  or 
else  their  invention  failed.  So  the  main  bod}7  of 
the  characters,  comprising  some  23,000,  were 
formed  bv  combinations,  more  or  less  arbitrary, 
of  those  already  in  use.  As  the  twenty-six  letters 
of  the  alphabet  can  form  any  number  of  words; 
so  the  original  symbols  were  combined  to  form 
the  great  body  of  Chinese  characters.  There  are 
two  hundred  and  fourteen  Radicals  which  form 
the  basis  of  the  characters.  Each  one  has  its 
radical,  and  they7  are  arranged  under  these  Rad- 
icals in  the  order  of  the  number  of  strokes  which 
each  contain.  These  strokes  which  compose  a 
character,  rise  in  rare  instances  to  as  many  as 
fifty-two. 


Number  of 
Characters 


The  whole  number  of  characters 
sanctioned  by  good  usage  does  not 
vary  greatly7  from  25.000,  though 
there  are  many7  more  than  this  in  existence;  but 
even  these  contain  many  thousands  very7  seldom 
met  with,  so  that  five  or  six  thousand  practically7 
cover  all  that  are  contained  in  ordinary  Chinese 
writings.  In  the  Bible  only7  about  four  thousand 
are  used. 


The  language  is  very7  meager  in  vocables.  The 


dictionary  I use  only  has  707  dif- 
Sounds  and  ferent  sounds.  This  defect  has  giv- 
Tones  en  riSe  to  a variation  in  the  modu- 
lation of  the  sounds.  In  my  dictionary  as  an 
illustration,  there  are  81  different  characters  pro- 
nounced kay.  To  help  relieve  this  sameness,  tones 
are  used.  Kay  is  pronounced  in  six  different  tones, 
or  modulations  of  the  voice;  and  each  tone  repre- 
sents a different  character  with  an  entirely  differ- 
ent meaning.  But  this  is  not  all.  There  are  twen- 
tv-two  different  Kays  belonging  to  one  of  these 
six  tones,  and  a less  number  to  the  others;  each 
representing  also  a different  character  and  mean- 
ing. Which  Kay  then  is  used?  The  context  helps 
material^  m determining,  and  yet  there  is  needed 
a sight  of  the  charac  ter  in  order  to  have  an  intel- 
ligent understanding.  The  same  rules  apply  to 
all  the  other  vocables,  only  that  some  have  eight 
instead  of  six  tones. 

The  written  language  being  addressed  rather  to 
the  eye,  it  is  the  spoken  language  that  is  inten- 
ded for  the  ear.  The  language  is  practically  a 
double  one.  The  spoken  is  considered  too  coarse 
for  the  elegance  necessary  in  the  written.  Mis- 
sionaries have  reduced  the  colloquial  to  writing; 
but  the  people,  especially  the  scholars,  are  very 
slow  in  bringing  themselves  to  its  use.  Many  of 
the  same  words  are  used  in  both,  but  the  setting 
of  them  is  very  different.  Many  spoken  words 
had  no  character  with  which  to  write  them,  and 
characters  had  to  be  adapted  for  this  purpose,. 

The  same  written  language  is  used  all  over  Chi- 
na  as  far  as  characters  are  concerned; 

Ia  ec  s but  there  are  innumerable  dialects  of  the 
spoken  language  and  each  pronounce  the  writ- 

8 


ten  language  ac- 
cording to  their 
own  dialect.  The 
Chine.se  never 
move  from  one 
part  of  the  coun- 
try to  another. 
Generation  after 
generation,  they 
are  born,  live  and 
die,  on  the  same 
spot.  For  this 
reason  local  dia- 
lects have  grown 
up.  Even  at  the 
distance  of  fifteen 
miles  different 
shades  of  pro- 
nunciation will 
be  fo  u n d;  and 
when  two  hun- 
dred  miles  is 
reached,  it  be- 
THE  FORTUNE-TELLER  comes  difficult  to 

understand  each  other. 

The  language  is  a monosyllabic  one,  and  neither 
the  characters  or  their  names  undergo  any  change. 
Whether  they  are  used  as  nouns,  verbs,  adject- 
ives, or  any  part  of  speech;  or  in  different  number 
gender,  or  case,  they  never  alter.  Still  there  are 
certain  rules  which  govern  the  construction  of 
Chinese,  and  constitute  its  real  grammar. 

As  in  the  written,  so  too  in  the  spoken,  much 
confusion  arose  on  account  of  so  many  words 
having  the  same  sound.  This  has  been  obviated 
in  several  ways.  One  is  b\- joining  words  having 

9 " 


the  same  meaning  but  a different  sound;  like  £ ai 
meaning  to  see,  and  keen,  meaning  also  to  see: 
writing  the  two,  £ ai-keen,  gives  the  one  idea,  to 
see.  Another  way  is  by  the  use  of  classifiers. 
r]  Every  name  of  a thing  has  with  it  a 

assi  xers  c]agsifier#  Yat-Kan.Ook , Ook  is  house, 

Yat  is  one,  and  Ka?i  is  the  classifier — “one  piece 
house.”  This  is  why  in  “Pidgin-English,”  piecee 
is  used  so  much.  This  Pidgin-English  grew  up 
from  the  difficulty  of  learning  Chinese,  and  an  at- 
tempt to  use  the  two  languages  together,  Rather 
an  amusing  instance  of  its  use  occured  in  Shang- 
hai some  time  ago.  King  Kalakau  of  the  Hawai- 
ian Islands  was  stopping  at  a hotel.  Two  Amer- 
ican gentlemen  called  and  asked  the  proprietor  if 
the  King  was  in.  He  shouted  in  a loud  tone  to 
the  Chinese  waiter,  “Boy,  that  piecee  king  top 
side  hab  got?”  The  boy  replied,  “Hab  got.”  The 
proprietor  turned  to  the  gentlemen  and  said,  “His 
majest}'  is  in.  Pray  walk  up  stairs.” 

Another  way  of  relieving  the  sameness  of  sound 
in  the  spoken  language,  as  I have  already  said  of 
the  book  language,  is  bv  using  tones.  This  gives 
rise  to  many  absurd  mistakes.  A missionary 
who  had  not  been  very  long  in  China  wanted 
some  mutton,  and  sent  his  servant  to  buy 
three  pounds  of  what  he  called  yeung  ma  yoke . 
Absurd  servan^  after  being  gone  a long 

Mistakes  time>  came  back  with  a lot  of  sheep 
tails,  saying  that  he  had  been  all  over 
the  market,  and  could  not  find  so  many.  It  would 
take  a good  many  tails  to  make  three  pounds. 
Instead  of  using  ma,  sheep,  he  used  the  rising  in- 
flection, ma,  tail. 

A 3roung  missionary  who  was  very  anxious  to 
preach  the  Gospel,  in  describing  the  New  Jerusa- 

10 


lem,  spoke  of  its  golden  streets  and  gates  of  pearl. 
What  was  his  horror  to  have  one  of  the  audience 
ask,  “Do  you  really  mean  to  sa3q  that  the  gates 
of  Heaven  are  made  of  pork?”  This  absurd  mis- 
take was  caused  by  the  fact  that  the  word  for 
pearl  and  the  word  for  pork  have  exactly  the 
same  sound  and  tone— chu.  He  should  have  used 
the  classifier,  nap,  yatnap  chn , “one  round  piece 
pearl.”  But  he  made  a stronger  point  than  he  sup- 
posed, as  the  prospect  of  abundance  of  pork  in 
Heaven  was  very  attractive  to  a Chinaman. 

Another  missionary  annoyed  bv  a crowd  of 
boys  on  the  street,  turned  and  said  to  them,  Hui 
Kwai,  He  wanted  to  tell  them  to  go  home,  but 
instead  of  that,  told  them  to  go  to  the  devil. 
Kwai,  means  home,  and  kwai,  with  the  rising  in- 
flection. means  devil.  Another  one  in  speaking  of 
God  as  Heavenly  Father,  called  him  Tui  Foo.  One 
of  the  hearers  said,  “What  does  he  mean  by  talk- 
ing to  us  about  his  crazy  father?”  Tin , Heavenly 
has  an  aspirate,  but  tin  , crazy,  has  no  aspirate. 

Skill  in  writing  of  their  characters  the 

Writing  Chinese  display  high  skill.  They  use  a 
painter’s  brush  of  the  finest  quality;  and 
writing  is  ranked  by  them  as  the  highest  of  thj 
fine  arts.  There  is  no  other  language  on  earth 
so  well  adapted  for  a display  of  skill  in  penman- 
ship, and  they  have  used  it  well. 

There  are  six  different  styles  of  writing  the  Chi- 
nese characters.  The  business  style  is  a free  run- 
ning hand,  quite  different  in  appearance  from  the 
other  more  formal  styles;  well  suited  to  business 
correspondence  and  book-keeping,  and  is  famil- 
iar to  those  who  ma}^  hardly  be  able  to  read  their 
classics  intelligently. 


11 


Printing  was  discovered  in  the  year  900  A,  D.,  or 
five  hundred  years  before  the  art  was 
Chinese  known  in  Europe.  As  to  the  Chinese 

rintmg  mo(je  Qf  printing,  the  first  step  is  to 
write  the  characters  on  thin  paper.  Then  it  is 
pasted  on  blocks,  face  downward.  The  paper  is 
moistened,  and  carefully  rubbed  off,  leaving  the 
impression  of  the  characters  upon  the  block.  By 
a sharp  chisel,  the  wood  between  is  cut  away, 
causing  the  characters  to  stand  out  in  relief  like  a 
stereotype  plate,  and  all  is  ready  for  the  printers. 

Two  pages  are  always  cut  on  one  block.  Be- 
tween them  is  a column  in  which  is  cut  the  title 
of  the  book,  the  chapter  and  the  page.  When  the 
leaf  is  folded  through  the  middle  of  this  column, 
the  characters  appear  on  the  edge,  partly  on  both 
pages  of  the  double  leaf.  The  Chinese  read  from 
right  to  left,  and  up  and  down,  instead  of  across. 
Metal  type  is  now  fast  coming  into  use. 

The  Chinese  are  greatly"  given  to  printing  pla- 
cards, posters  and  all  sorts  of  advertisements, 
pasted  on  walls,  or  scattered  around,  as  we  do. 
They-  are  of  all  sizes  and  designs.  Many  of  them 
are  illustrated  in  bright  colors.  Caricatures  of 
all  kinds  are  common,  as  the  Chinese  have  a high 
sense  of  the  ludicrous.  Circulating  libraries  car- 
ried from  house  to  house,  are  common,  and  book- 
stores abound  everywhere,  as  the  Chinese  people 
are  great  readers. 

A language  whose  primary  idea  is  a representa- 
tion of  objects  of  sense,  must  be  an  imperfect  ve- 
hicle of  abstract  thought,  and  obstruct  the  high- 
est exercise  of  intellect;  and  yet,  beginning  from  a 
time  long  before  that  of  any  other  living  langu- 
age, they  have  built  up  with  it  a literature 

12 


wonderful  in  its  age,  m its  extent  and  its  char- 
acter. 

The  first  book  of  the  Chinese  Classics  is 
Records  ca^e^j  Shu  King,  or  Book  of  Records. 

Though  it  contains  much  that  is  myth- 
ological and  incredible,  it  has  also  some  reliable 
records  of  a very  remote  period,  Rising  out  of  its 
fabulous  stories,  there  gradually  appear  histor- 
ical facts,  which  grow  more  credible  and  distinct 
as  they  come  down  the  stream  of  time.  Some- 
where about  2205  B.  C.  marks  the  beginning  of 
the  first  real  character  in  Chinese  history,  called 
Yu  the  Great.  At  that  time  the  people  began  to 
emerge  from  barbarism,  writing  having  been  in- 
vented, and  some  chronology  kept.  Yu  was  the 
founder  of  the  first  dynasty,  called  the  Ha  dynas- 
ty; when  the  country  began  to  crystallize  into 
more  permanent  form. 

It  is  a fact  worthy  of  note,  that  an  eclipse  of 
the  sun,  appearance  of  comets,  and  other  astro- 
nomical data,  recorded  in  the  annals  of  this  first 
dynasty,  have  been  verified  by  astronomers,  and 
goes  far  to  help  pronounce  in  favor  of  the  trust- 
worthiness of  these  ancient  records.  The  great 
antiquity  of  the  Chinese  people:  their  faithfulness 
in  accurately  recording  events;  their  time-honored 
custom  of  appealing  to  history;  as  well  as  their 
practice  of  recording  strange  happenings  in  na- 
ture, make  their  records  a source  of  reliable  and 
useful  knowledge. 

It  was  not,  however,  until  the  third,  or  Chow 
dynasty,  beginning  1122  B,  C,,  that 
Appear  sa£es  appeared,  and  literature  became 
an  important  factor  in  the  life  of  the 
Chinese  people;  culminating  551  B.  C,  in  the  ap- 
pearance of  Confucius:  and  soon  after,  his  succes- 

13 


sor,  Mencius;  and  about  the  same  time  also, 
Lotsze,  the  founder  of  the  Tauist  religion.  Accord- 
ing to  the  Chinese  mind,  with  the  appearance  of 
this  galaxy  of  sages,  civilization  reached  its  high- 
est point,  and  until  the  beginning  of  this  centur\r, 
has  remained  under  the  rule  and  ideas  of  that 
period. 

China  had  already  accumulat'ed  large  stores  of 
. their  own  histor\r,  and  various  kinds 
A°Reformer  °*  literature.  Confucius  early  mas- 
tered these.  He  stored  his  mind 
with  all  the  books  and  learning  of  the  ancients. 
Impressed  with  the  superiorit}-  of  former  times, 
and  sad  degeneracy  of  his  own,  he  entered  upon 
the  work  of  a Reformer.  He  sought  to  do  this  in 
two  ways:  by  instructing  those  who  became  his 
pupils;  and  by  establishing  the  example  of  good 
government.  In  pursuance  of  this  latter  object, 
he  became  Minister  of  State,  at  the  age  of  hftv- 
three,  in  his  own  native  kingdom  of  Lu\  for  China 
at  that  time,  was  divided  into  several  petty  king- 
doms. So  prosperous  and  improved  in  morals 
did  it  become  under  him,  that  it  roused  the  jeal- 
ousy of  rival  states. 

To  counteract  this,  they  resorted  to  the  strata- 
gem of  sending  to  the  Prince  of  Lu  a band  of 
beautiful  girls,  who  were  skilled  in  music  and 
dancing.  These  soon  ensnared  the  amorous 
young  Prince,  and  he  forsook  the  plans  of  reform 
to  which  Confucius  had  inspired  him.  The  sage 
was  disgusted,  and  retiring  to  private  life,  hence- 
forth devoted  himself  to  the  instruction  of  3’outh. 
His  fame  attracted  scholars  of  alt  ages  to  sit  un- 
der his  teachings.  No  less  than  three  thousand 
came  under  his  instruction.  Seventy -two  of  his 
disciples  are  now  enrolled  among  the  sages  of 

14 


Chin 

Dynasty 


China.  Bv  his  teaching,  and  the  books  that  he 
prepared,  Confucius  did  more  than  he  could  have 
done  in  any  other  position  to  mould  the  destinies 
of  China. 

This  long  Chow  dynasty,  covering  the  time  of 
Confucius,  was  one  of  constant  warfare  between 
petty  states,  which,  as  I said,  then  composed  the 
country.  One  of  these  feudal  states,  named  Chin, 
was  the  most  powerful.  Its  chieftain,  225  B.  C,, 
finally  entered  the  ancient  capital  of  Shigan  Fu , 
and  the  dynasty  of  Chow  at  last  came  to  an  end. 
This  Singan  Fu  is  the  same  ancient  capital  to 
which  the  Empress  Dowager  fled  on  the  downfall 
of  Peking  during  the  Boxer  trouble. 

The  dynasty  of  Chin,  which  succeeded 
that  of  Chow,  swept  away  the  feu- 
dal system,  united  the  nation  in  one, 
and  gave  it  the  present  name  of  Chin,  or  China. 
The  scholars  of  the  Confucian  school  were  bitterly 
opposed  to  this  unifying  of  the  Empire,  and 
longed  to  go  back  to  the  good  old  times  of  the 
feudal  system  which  Confucius  praised  so  much. 
In  order  to  blot  out  the  very  remembrance  of  this 
ancient  system,  Chin  ordered  every  book  to  be 
burned,  especially  the  writings  of  Confucius  and 
Mencius;  and  nearly  five  hundred  of  the  greatest 
scholars  of  the  day  were  put  to  death.  For  this 
reason,  the  dynasty  of  Chin,  though  it  has  the 
honor  of  giving  to  China  its  name,  is  not  the  one 
Chinese  love. 

The  succeeding  dynasty  of  Han  is  the 
one  they  most  highty  esteem,  and 
delight  to  call  themselves  “The  Sons 
of  Han.”  This  dynasty  of  Han,  running  from 
206  B,  C.  to  203  A.  D.  deserves  to  be  called  the 
beginning  of  modern  Chinese  history.  Delivered 

15 


Han 

Dynasty 


from  anarchy  and  t}7ranny,  the  nation  entered 
upon  a new  career.  It  was  marked  by  a great 
revival  of  letters  and  cultivation  of  learning.  The 
classical  books  were  found  not  to  be  all  de- 
stroyed, but  came  out  one  after  another  from 
their  hiding  places.  Confucianism  was  again 
raised  to  honor.  The  revival  of  learning  demand- 
ed cheaper  writing  material  than  silk  or  bamboo 
tablets,  and  paper  was  invented,  and  books  began 
to  multiply  in  great  numbers. 

Another  ancient  book  beside  the 
Book  of  Book  of  Records  is  the  Yik-King , or 

Book  of  Changes.  This  is  held  in 
great  veneration  by  the  Chinese  on  account  of  its 
antiquity,  and  the  occult  wisdom  which  it  is  sup- 
posed to  contain;  but  which  no  mortal  can  ever 
hope  to  understand.  It  has  in  it  a species  of  divi- 
nation which  has  done  much  to  bind  the  people  in 
the  chains  of  superstition;  and  is  to  this  day  the 
text  book  of  fortune-tellers,  as  it  has  been  for 
three  thousand  }Tears.  This  curious  book  is  found- 
ed upon  the  Chinese  theoiw  of  creation.  They  say 
all  material  things  proceed  from  two  great  princi- 
ples or  elements — the  Yam  and  the  Yeung , the  male 
and  the  female  powers.  The  male  is  the  celestial 
element  which  generates,  and  the  female  is  the  ter- 
restrial, which  is  acted  upon.  By  these  all  mater- 
ial things  are  produced.  Man  was  formed  by 
these  dual  powers,  and  naturally  comes  under 
their  influence,  together  with  all  the  principles  of 
human  actions.  So  upon  this  fanciful  ground- 
work is  built  up  a system  from  which  anything 
and  everything  is  deduced. 

The  Book  of  Odes  is  one  of  the  oldest 
B?°J^  , collection  of  odes  in  existence,  having  its 
° es  origin,  at  least  in  part.  1100  B.  C.  But 

16 


its  verses  have  no  flights  of  imagination  in  them, 
and  are  interesting  mostly  on  account  of  their  an- 
tiquity, and  their  insight  into  the  Chinese  life  of 
their  times. 

The  book  of  Rites  is  a wonderful  book 
Bf  f/ites  *n  practical  effect  which  it  has  had 
° 1 es  on  the  Chinese  manners  and  life.  It  is  a 

code  of  etiquette  for  court,  social  and  religious  life, 
for  all  their  actions,  and  for  every  relation  in 
which  they  stand.  It  has  been  mighty  in  mould- 
ing the  manners  ofthe  Chinese,  and  making  them 
the  most  tremendously  ceremonious  people  there 
is  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

Annals  The  Annals  °f Lu  a book  which  gives 
of  Lu  a seiaes  of  historical  incidents  extending 
through  some  250  years,  previous  to  the 
time  of  Confucius;  and  seeking  to  enforce  the  prin- 
ciples of  good  government  drawn  from  the  good 
old  times  of  the  ancient  rulers,  along  with  many 
of  those  practical  observations  which  so  disting- 
uish the  writings  of  the  sage. 

These  five  books  which  I have  mentioned,  are 
Five  called  the  Five  Classics,  and  all  refer  to 
Classics  the  times  previous  to  Confucius;  compil- 
ed and  edited  by  him,  and  bearing  upon 
them  the  imprint  of  the  sage’s  mind,  until  he  be- 
comes the  spirit  of  their  inspiration. 

Next  comes  what  is  called  the  Four 
Four  Books  B00ks,  containing  the  personal  teach- 
ings of  Confucius  and  his  disciples. 
They  are  called  The  Great  Study,  The  Just  Mean, 
The  Sayings  of  Confucius  and  The  Discourses  of 
Mencius.  So  full  are  they  of  fine  theories  of  virtue, 
wise  and  good  teachings,  that  they  have  been  a 
great  power  to  mould  and  form  the  Chinese  people 
socially,  politically  and  religiously.  These  nine 

17 


books  form  the  Chinese  Classics,  or  as  they  have 
been  called,  their  Canon  of  Scripture;  and  are  the 
basis  upon  which  all  their  literature,  and  their 
peculiar  character  too  as  a people,  is  founded. 

Another  remarkable  book  which  is  not  strictly' 
speaking  a classic  as,  though  professing  to  be 
written  by  Confucius,  it  is  not  now  believed  to 
have  come  from  his  pen;  yet  holds  quite  as  high  a 
place  in  their  literature  as  the  real  classics.  It  is 
Memoirs  the  Hau  King , or  Alemoirs  of  Filial 
of  Piety.  It  dates  back  to  the  first  centu- 
Filial  Piety  ry  kefore  Christ,  and  was  reputed  to 
have  been  found  in  the  wall  of  a house  belonging 
to  a descendant  of  Confucius.  Who  the  real  auth- 
or is,  is  not  known,  but  it  is  so  much  after  the 
general  character  of  the  teachings  of  Confucius, 
that  I cannot  forbear  quoting  from  its  first  sec- 
tion. It  say's,  “Confucius  sitting  one  day  at  leis- 
ure, with  his  pupil  Tsang  Tsan  by  his  side,  said  to 
him,  ‘Do  you  understand  how  the  ancient  kings, 
who  possessed  the  greatest  virtue  and  the  best 
moral  principles,  rendered  the  whole  empire  so 
obedient,  that  the  people  lived  in  peace  and  har- 
mony, and  no  ill  will  existed  between  superiors 
and  inferiors?’  Tsang  Tsan,  rising  from  his  seat, 
replied,  ‘Destitute  as  I am  of  discernment,  how 
can  I understand  the  subject?’  ‘Filial  duty,’  said 
the  sage,  ‘is  the  root  of  virtue,  and  the  stem  from 
which  instruction  in  moral  principles,  springs 
forth.  Sit  down  and  I will  explain  this  to  you. 
The  first  thing  that  filial  duty  requires  of  us  is, 
that  we  carefull}'  preserve  from  all  injury,  and  in 
a perfect  state,  the  bodies  which  we  have  received 
from  our  parents.  And  when  we  acquire  for  oursel- 
ves a station  in  the  world,  we  should  regulate  our 
conduct  by'  correct  principles,  so  as  to  transmit 

18 


our  names  to  future  generations,  and  reflect  glory 
on  our  parents:  this  is  the  ultimate  aim  of  filial 
duty.  Thus  it  commences  in  attention  to  parents; 
is  continued  through  a series  of  services  to  the 
prince:  and  is  completed  by  the  elevation  of  our- 
selves.’ ” 

The  book  contains  only  eighteen  short  chapters, 
which  school  children  commit  to  memory.  It 
makes,  as  do  the  real  teachings  of  Confucius,  filial 
piety  the  co  rner  stone  upon  which  the  whole  fab- 
ric of  Chinese  institutions  is  builded. 

To  explain  and  elucidate,  both  the 
n,°d  ErJd  Memoirs  of  Filial  Piety  and  the  elas- 

sics,  no  end  oi  books  have  been  writ- 
ten. Coming  down  the  stream  of  time  for  3,000 
years,  they  have  multiplied  and  increased,  until 
one  is  lost  in  the  labyrinth  of  China’s  lore.  They 
have  a catalogue  which  contains  a synopsis  of 
many  of  the  best  books  in  the  language.  This  cat- 
alogue numbers  112  volumes  of  300  pages  each, 
and  contains  the  names  of  upward  of  20,000 
works.  In  the  Ming  dynasty,  over  500  \rears  ago, 
a Cj'clopedic  digest  of  the  Imperial  Library,  which 
contained  300,000  volumes  was  made.  Many  lit- 
erary men,  and  thousands  of  copyists  were  em- 
ployed on  it,  and  when  completed  it  numbered 
over  11,000  volumes.  Another  somewhat  similar 
compilation  was  made  in  a later  dynasty,  which 
numbered  6000  volumes.  But  I cannot  stop  to 
enumerate  their  books.  They  are  simply  innumer- 
able: and  of  many  different  kinds;  commentaries 
of  their  classics,  dictionaries,  encyclopedias,  biog- 
raphies, poetry,  dramas,  histories,  novels,  and  so 
forth. 


19 


Chinese  Chinese  history  is  perfectly  enormous 
History  its  extent,  and  vastly  beyond  that  of 
any  other  nation  on  earth.  History  is 
not  with  them  as  with  us,  a wrork  of  art,  but  a 
bare  chronicle  of  events.  This  is  not  that  they  are 
unable  to  philosophize  on  events,  but  because  of 
the  fault  in  their  model  Confucius,  whose  annals 
are  nothing  but  a diary  of  events  both  great  and 
small.  They  have  taken  great  care  to  hand  down 
an  unbroken  record  of  their  national  life.  It  be- 
gins with  the  Emperor,  noting  ever}T  word  and 
action  of  his  daity  life,  and  extends  to  every  offici- 
al, and  to  every  event  in  the  life  of  each  dynasty. 

Dr.  Martin  tells  ot  a General,  600  B.C.,  wrho 
took  possession  of  the  wife  of  another.  “His  sov- 
ereign in  turn  deprived  him  of  the  facinating  beau- 
ty. The  General  in  revenge  killed  the  prince,  and 
when  the  court  chronicler  put  on  record  this  chap- 
ter of  infamies,  the  General  put  him  to  death,  and 
tore  the  leaf  from  the  Archives  of  State.  A brother 
of  the  historian  renewed  the  record,  and  suffered 
death  for  doing  so.  A leaf  was  again  torn  out, and 
a third  brother  presented  himself,  pen  in  hand,  to 
repeat  the  tale  and  seal  it  with  his  blood.  The  ty- 
rant touched  by  his  martyr-like  spirit,  spared  his 
life,  and  submitted  to  the  stigma.  The  incident  is 
handed  down  as  a proof  of  the  unflinching  fidelity 
of  ancient  historians.”  The  ponderous  histories 
which  have  been  written  out  from  these  annals, 
I cannot  stop  to  even  mention. 

Poetry  is  a very  prolific  source  of  Chi- 
oe  ry  nese  literature,  some  may  think  that 
the  Chinese  being  so  practical  in  their  nature,  are 
not  capable  of  being  poetic.  Not  so.  They  are 
a people  devoted  to  poetry,  Epic  poetry  is  not 
to  be  found,  but  all  other  kinds,  and  especially 

20 


the  Lyric,  abound  in  quantities  without  limit. 
Books  of  ballads  are  found  in  many  homes.  The 
women  find  great  delight  in  singing  them  to  their 
own  music,  and  ballad  singers  may  be  seen  and 
heard  in  public  places.  Much  of  their  so  called 
poetry  is  artificial,  where  the  jingle  and  length 
of  line  is  more  regarded  than  the  sense.  On 
the  other  hand  they  have  much  that  breathes  the 
true  poetic  spirit,  and  some  even  which  rises  to 
a high  place.  Here  is  a little  specimen  of  four 
stanzas  which  were  written  by  a lady  of  the 
Court  18  B.  C.,  as  an  ode  inscribed  on  a fan, 
and  presented  to  the  Emperor. 

Of  fresh  new  silk,  all  snowy  white, 

And  round  as  harvest  moon: 

A pledge  of  purity  and  love, 

. A small  but  welcome  boon. 

While  summer  lasts,  borne  in  the  hand, 

Or  folded  on  the  breast, 

‘Twill  gently  soothe  the  burning  brow, 

Ind  charm  thee  to  thy  rest. 

But,  Ah,  when  Autumn  frosts  descend, 

And  winter’s  wind  blows  cold, 

No  longer  sought,  no  longer  loved, 

’Twill  lie  in  dust  and  mold. 

This  silken  fan,  then,  deign  accept, 

Sad  emblem  of  my  lot — 

Caressed  and  fondled  for  an  hour, 

Then  speedily  forgot. 

Poetry  reached  its  greatest  height  in  the  ninth 
and  tenth  centuries,  during  the  Tang  dynasty: 
and  the  poems  of  those  times  have  been  published 
by  imperial  authority  in  900  volumes. 

Drama  About  the  seventh  century  arose  the 
drama,  and  the  theatre  has  since  held 
a prominent  place  in  Chinese  life.  As  a people, 
they  have  a strong  passion  for  theatricals.  The 

21 


ACTORS 


theatre  may  be  said  to  be  their  national  amuse- 
ment. Their  passion  for  the  dramatic,  shows  it- 
self on  many  little  occasions.  When  aroused  in 
sell  defence,  or  excited  in  any  way,  they  will 
assume  the  dramatic,  and  go  through  the  part 
of  an  actor  both  in  language  and  in  attitudes. 
Some  of  their  dramas  are  open  to  serious  ob- 
jection on  account  of  their  unehastness;  but 
most  of  their  plays  are  on  the  side  of  virtue  and 
morality.  The  principal  part  of  the  performances 
in  their  theatres  are  dramas  taken  from  the 
higher  walks  of  life;  but  they  also  have  farces 
and  pantomimes  which  are  much  relished  by  the 
people.  Their  dramas  are  of  interminable  length, 
stretched  out  through  many  tedious  nights. 
Novels  Chinese  language  abounds  in  novels. 

They  are  as  a people  passionately  fond 
of  stories  and  story-telling.  They  have  profess- 
ional stor\’--tellers,  whom  I have  often  seen  on 
the  street  reciting  to  a crowd  with  dramatic 
power  some  story  of  love,  war  or  magic.  The 
scholar  as  well  as  the  child  relishes  a good  story, 
which  may  be  romantic,  or  historical,  or  both. 
The  historical  novel  is  no  modern  invention.  Few 
books  in  Chinese  literature  are  more  noted  and 
popular  than  the  Sam  Kwok  Che,  a historical 
novel  written  1550  years  ago.  Myriads  of  works 
of  fiction  are  found  in  the  language,  and  they 
largely  form  the  mental  food  of  the  lower  classes. 
A great  share  of  them,  especially  in  the  shorter 
stories,  are  demoralizing  and  objectionable  on 
account  of  their  immorality,  As  to  their  plot, 
adventure,  heroes,  heroines,  desperate  troubles 
and  happy  endings,  they  are  very  much  after  the 
style  of  our  own  A series  defect  consists  in  long, 
minute  descriptions  of  trifling  things,  carried  on 

23 


in  a conversational  style,  which  soon  becomes 
tedious. 

Chinese 
that  is 
that  of 
have  failed  to  reduce 


Ethical 

Teachings 


literature  has  much  in  it 
philosophical;  especialh*  in 
the  ethical  character.  1 hey 
their  systems  to  any  scien- 
tific form,  but  are  found  in  great  nuggets,  scatter- 
ed throughout  their  writings,  Their  ethical 
teachings,  are  of  a high  and  practical  order. 
Confucious  said,  “I  am  not  an  author  but  an 
editor.”  His  own  writings  are  few.  Besides  a 
small  compend  of  history,  the  only  original  work 
which  came  from  his  own  pen  is  a short  essay 
called,  “The  Great  Study;”  which  as  I have  al- 
read}-  said  is  one  of  the  Four  Books.  It  is  a gem 
of  high  morals,  and  I quote  from  its  opening  chap- 
ter, as  showing  the  gist  of  the  whole.  “Those 
ancients  who  desire  to  promote  the  practice  of 
virtue  throughout  the  world,  first  took  care  to 
govern  their  own  states.  In  order  to  govern  their 
states,  they  first  regulated  their  own  families.  In 
order  to  regulate  their  own  families,  they  first 
practiced  virtue  in  their  persons.  In  order  to 
the  practice  of  personal  virtue,  they  first  cultivat- 
ed right  feeling.  In  order  to  insure  right  feelings, 
they  first  had  sincerity  of  purpose.  In  order  to 
secure  sincerity  of  purpose,  they  extended  their 
knowledge.  Knowledge  is  enlarged  by  inquiring 
into  the  nature  of  things,’ 

Five  Confucius  made  the  principle  rela- 

Relations  tions  of  the  individual  to  societ3^  to 
be  five;  the  governmental,  paren- 
tal, conjugal,  fraternal  and  friendship;  and  the 
cardinal  virtues  of  moral  excellence  are  also 
five;  Benevolence,  Justice,  Order,  Wisdom  and 
Faith.  Their  philosophy  compared  with  that  ol 

24 


Greece  and  Rome,  is  far  superior  in  the  purity  of 
its  teachings,  and  in  the  attention  paid  to  the 
rules  governing  the  common  intercourse  of  life: 
but  is  inferior  in  the  depth  of  its  searchings  after 
truth.  Confucius  never  inquired  as  to,  “What  is 
truth?”  He  always  taught  on  the  principle  of 
what  is  proper  or  expedient.  This  unreasoning, 
dogmatic  way  of  teaching  has  left  its  strong  im- 
press on  the  Chinese  mind.  They  bring  every 
thing  to  the  rule  of  propriety,  custom  and  tangi- 
ble realities  of  life.  Tell  the  Chinese  that  a thing 
is  proper — is  custom,  and  it  is  enough.  It  is  the 
end  of  all  argument.  The  Chinese  skillfully  con- 
nect private  morals  with  political  ethics,  and  ex- 
patiate beautifully  on  virtue,  but  make  little 
inquiry  into  the  nature  of  virtue  and  ground  of 
obligation.  Confucius  and  his  followers  believed 
in  a moral  government,  but  avoided  prying  into 
hidden  mysteries.  He  said,  “to  give  one’s  self 
earnestly  to  the  duties  due  to  men,  and  while  re- 
specting spiritual  beings,  to  keep  aloof  from  them, 
in  wisdom.”  And  yet  his  teachings  are  not  as 
atheistic  as  might  appear.  He  called  the  Sup- 
reme Being  by  the  vague  term  of  Heaven,  yet 
ascribed  to  it  more  of  personality  than  we  might 
suppose.  He  said  among  other  like  things,  “The 
superior  man  fears  three  things,  and  the  first  is 
Heaven. 

When  it  comes  to  the  held  of  speculative  philo- 
sophy. Chinese  literature  is  far  from  being  silent. 
The  Sung  Dynasty  ten  centuries  ago,  was  a time 
when  much  attention  was  paid  to  philosophizing. 
Evolution  They  anticipated  in  their  speculations 
many  of  the  theories  of  modern  sci- 
ence. Evolution  is  no  new  thing.  The  Chinese 
taught  it  a thousand  years  ago.  They  attempt- 

25 


ed  to  reason  out  a process  in  nature,  by  which, 
as  they  said,  “the  primitive  void  was  transform- 
ed into  matter,”  Says  one  writer,  “Heaven  and 
earth,  with  all  they  contain,  are  nothing  but 
transformations  of  one  primitive  force,”  They 
sought  to  explain  the  evolutionary  progress  from 
the  imperfect  to  the  more  perfect,  both  in  dead 
and  live  nature.  One  of  their  famous  philoso- 
phers said,  “the  immensity  of  space,  though 
called  the  great  void,  is  not  void.  It  is  filled  with 
subtle  substance.  In  fact  there  is  no  such  thing 
as  vacuum.”  Does  this  not  sound  much  like  the 
so  called  scientific  speculations  of  to-day? 

Lit  r The  literary  character  of  the 

Examinations  Chinese  is  seen  in  the  fact  that 
their  government  is  founded  on 
competative  literary  examinations.  We  are  seek- 
ing to  institute  Civil  Service.  The  Chinese  had 
it  2200  B.  C.  Their  system  was  gradually  en- 
larged and  improved  until  it  was  established  on 
its  present  basis  a thousand  years  ago.  Every 
officer  in  the  Chinese  government  from  the  high- 
est to  the  lowest,  has  to  pass  through  a long 
series  of  severe  examinations,  in  which,  among 
thousands  of  failures,  the  happy  few  who  success- 
fully pass,  are  raised  to  office.  Not  more  than 
two  or  three  per  cent  are  successful;  so  that  the 
Mandarins  of  China,  almost  without  exception, 
are  the  choicest  ones  ol  the  educated  classes.  The 
Empire  was  founded  on  letters,  and  during  all 
these  long  centuries,  it  has  stood  as  the  chief 
corner-stone.  If  there  was  a wider  range  of  sub- 
jects given  to  the  students  in  their  examinations, 
their  present  system,  imperfect  though  it  is, 
would  be  of  great  benefit  to  the  people,  and  be 
worthy  of  our  imitation,  (Presto!!  It  is  done,) 

26 


Fifteen  centuries  ago,  there  was  founded  in 
Peking  the  famous  Imperial  Academy,  which  is 
the  source  whence  eminates  every  thing  of  a liter- 
ary character  connected  with  the  Empire,  from 
the  smallest  service  of  writing  a name,  to  the 
preparing  of  national  histories,  and  presiding  over 
the  governmental  examinations  of  the  Empire, 
Proverbs  Chinese  literature  abounds  in  pro- 
verbs, of  which  the  people  are  very 
fond.  Their  style  of  composition  is  well  adapted 
to  them,  in  its  conciseness  and  terseness.  They  de- 
light in  a kind  of  parallelism,  and  the  expression  of 
ideas  in  finely  balanced  phrases.  I will  close  with 
a few  selected  proverbs,  having  you  remember 
that  their  beauty  is  greatly  impaired  when  they 
are  put  into  English. 

Rather  die  than  act  contrary  to  principle. 

One  wrong  thought  may  cause  a life-long  regret. 

When  you  have  fully  done  your  duty,  abide  the 
will  of  Heaven. 

Better  be  upright  and  want,  than  wicked  and 
have  superabundance. 

Virtue  practiced  to  be  seen,  is  not  real  virtue; 
vice  which  fears  to  be  seen,  is  real  vice. 

Do  not  lace  your  boots  in  a melon  field,  nor 
adjust  your  hat  under  a plumb  tree.  (Avoid  Sus- 
picion,) 

It  is  man’s  to  scheme,  it  is  Heaven’s  to  accom- 
plish. 

If  a little  cash  does  not  go,  much  cash  will  not 
come. 

Cheap  things  are  not  good,  good  things  are 
not  cheap. 

Take  no  notice  of  what  you  hear  said  on  the 
pillow. 


27 


KWAN  TAI — GOD  OF  WAR 


II 

THE 

RELIGIONS  OF  CHINA 


hinese  history  conies  clown  to  us  moistened 


with  the  waters  of  Xoah's  Flood. ” It 
gives  us  facts  which  help  to  corroborate  the 
Mosaic  account  of  the  Deluge.  In  the  con- 
fusion of  tongues  at  Babel,  when,  “the  Lord 
scattered  them  abroad  upon  the  face  of  all  the 
earth,”  some  must  early  have  found  their  way  to 
China,  and  laid  the  foundation  of  that  nation. 

Of  what  the  religion  of  the  Chinese  consisted 
during  those  primative  ages,  we  can  only  catch 
some  glimpses. 


ers — One  and  Great — “ The  One  Great."  It  is  one  of 
the  simplest  characters,  and  therefore,  among  the 
first  that  was  formed.  From  this  we  see,  that 
the  first  Chinese  must  have  had  some  idea  of  the 
One  Great  Power  above.  To  this  day.  they  use 
Heaven  in  much  the  same  way  as  we  do,  when  we 
speak  of  Heaven  as  the  overuling  Power  above. 
They  say,  “Heaven's  eye  is  near.”  “Heaven  sees 
into  the  future.”  “If  we  sin  against  Heaven,  we 
have  no  one  to  pray  to,”  “And  yet,  to  Heaven 
the  Chinese  can  hardly  be  said  to  have  ever  given 
a distinct  personality.  It  is  only  used  by  them 
m the  pantheistic  sense  of  the  highest  power  of 


Heaven 


As  I have  already  said,  the  character 
for  Heaven  is  made  up  of  two  charact- 


29 


nature,  or  some  vague  power  which  resides  in 
the  visible  heavens. 

When  the  ancient  Chinese  wished  to  give 
Ruler  personality  to  the  powers  of  nature,  they 
ove  used  the  word,  “Sheung-Tai,”  “Ruler 
above,’'  “Supreme  Ruler.’*  That  most  ancient 
book  of  the  Chinese,  the  Shu  King,  which  records 
events  that  took  place  over  2000  B.  C.,  sa3rs, 
that  when  Shun  was  made  Emperor,  “He  sacri- 
ficed, with  the.  ordinary  forms,  to  SheungTai.” 
In  the  book  of  Odes,  running  back  as  far  as  1700 
B.  C.,  Sheung  Tai  is  spoken  of  as  the  Ruler  of  Em- 
perors, who  aided  the  good  and  punished  the  bad. 
When  we  reach  the  famous  Chow  dynasty,  begin- 
ning 1122  B.  C..we  find  an  established  form  of  wor- 
ship; consisting  of  an  altar  to  Heaven,  and  also 
one  to  Earth;  on  which  sacrifices  were  offered  to 
Sheung  Tai.  Down  to  the  present  time  this  wor- 
ship is  continued,  and  it  is,  therefore,  the  oldest 
form  of  worship  now  in  the  world. 

Tem  ie  to  ^t  today  amid  an  immense 

Heaven  ° grove  of  trees  stands  a Temple  and 
an  Altar  to  Heaven,  and  also  one  to 
Earth.  The  Temple  to  Heaven  is  a lofty  dome, 
ninetA^-mne  feet  high,  representing  in  form  and 
color,  the  azure  vault  of  the  sk3T.  No  idol  is  there. 
Before  the  Temple  is  a marble  altar,  and  on  it 
an  immense  brazen  furnace,  where  a whole  bullock 
without  blemish,  is  offered  as  a burnt  sacrifice, 
once  a 3'ear,  when  the  Emperor  prostrates  himself 
before  the  Ruler  of  the  Heavens.  The  people 
never  worship  before  this  Sheung  Tai.  They  con- 
sider him  too  great  for  them  to  worship.  Only 
the  Emperor,  as  their  great  High  Priest,  amid  im- 
posing ceremonies,  is  worthy  to  lay  an  offering  on 
this  Altar  of  Hea\en. 


30 


So  we  seem  to  find  in  these  ancient  beginnings 
of  the  Chinese  religion,  something  which  resem- 
bles very  much  an  imperfect  knowledge  of  the  true 
God.  We  are  carried  back,  amid  the  smoke  of 
this  burning  sacrifice  of  a whole  bullock,  to  the 
time  when  Noah  first  builded  an  altar  after  the 
flood,  and  offered  thereon  a burnt  offering  to  the 
Lord.  It  looks  as  though  the  first  Chinese  took 
to  China  some  knowledge  of  God,  and  of  the  an- 
cient mode  of  worshipping  him  by  sacrifices. 

But  these  same  ancient  books  which  I spoke  of,  also 
show  that  with  the  idea  of  worshipping  one  Ruler 
above,  there  arose  too  at  that  early  date,  many 
other  objects  of  worship.  This  seems  to  have 
grown  out  of  the  Chinese  theory  of  the  three 
great  powers,  “T'in,  Tav,  Yan” — Heaven , Earth , 
Man.  As  Heaven  is  above  Earth,  so,  as  the  high- 
est power  above,  he  has  marshalled  under  him 
many  spirits  which  preside  over  various  depart- 
ments of  Earth,  as  Hills.  Rivers,  Forests,  Clouds, 
Rain  and  Wind.  The  spirits  of  these  different 
parts  of  Earth  came  to  be  worshipped,  as  doing 
service  to  man  in  behalf  of  the  Ruler  above. 

£od  Thus  the  Chinese  seem  to  have  begun  their 
Lost  religion  in  the  monotheistic  idea  of  one  God, 
but  soon  degenerated  into  the  polytheistic 
belief  of  gods  in  great  numbers.  Their  early 
books  speak  of  the  one  Ruler  above,  not  in 
speculating  whether  there  was  such  a Being;  but 
as  one  already  known,  and  of  sacrifices  being 
made  to  him  by  established  rites.  Those  early 
books  show,  not  that  the  idea  of  a God  was  de- 
veloping; but  that  it  was  beginning  to  decay  and 
degenerate,  amid  the  increasing  number  of  spirits 
demanding  religious  worship. 

Does  this  not,  as  has  been  well  remarked,  con- 

31 


trovert  the  theory  of  Atheists;  that  man  first  set 
out  with  the  belief  in  many  gods,  and  gradually 
reduced  it  to  one  God;  and  so  are  going  on  to  the 
next  step,  of  only  laws  of  nature,  without  any 
personal  God?  In  China  new  gods  are  ever  multi- 
plying. While  I was  there,  as  white  men  had  im- 
pressed their  power  strongly  on  the  Chinese  mind, 
I remember  they  set  up  near  Canton,  a new  idol 
representing  a white  man. 

The  ancient  Chinese  from  first  looking  above 
and  seeing  one  Great  One  in  the  heavens;  and 
then  looking  around  and  seeing  innumerable 
spirits  in  the  earth;  next  naturally  turned  their 
thoughts  within  themselves.  And  so  we 
State6  that  the}'  early  had  ideas,  not  only 

of  their  origin,  but  of  their  destiny. 
That  same  ancient  Shu  King  says,  ‘‘Heaven  gave 
birth  to  the  people.’7  And  in  the  same  book  is  the 
idea  of  immortality.  It  speaks  of  the  death  of  an 
Emperor  as  “being  gathered  to  his  fathers.” 
Other  things  in  their  writings  show  conclusively7, 
their  ancient  belief  in  a future  state. 

The  ancestors  believed  in,  the  next  step 
Ancestral  was  to  worship  them.  They  began 
ors  ip  to  pay  homage  to  the  third  great 
Power — Man — the  spirits  of  their  fathers.  Very 
early  in  their  history,  we  find  the  Chinese  wor- 
shipping their  ancestors  by  means  of  offerings. 
These  were  not  confined  to  simple  eatables  at 
first,  as  they  are  now.  A retinue  of  slaves  and 
concubines  were  slain  to  follow  the  departed 
noble  into  the  world  of  spirits.  But  some  700  B, 
C.,  this  was  abolished.  A Prince  died.  His  wife 
proposed  to  give  him  a grand  funeral,  by  an  un- 
usual number  of  sacrifices.  The  Prince's  brother 
then  said,  “If  any  one  is  to  be  sacrificed,  you  will 

32 


he  the  first,  for  he  loved  no  one  better  than  you.” 
This  honor  she  declined,  and  from  that  time  the 
custom  ceased.  Yet  we  can  see  traces  of  it  re- 
maining to-day,  in  the  comparatively  innocent 
custom  of  burning  paper  images  of  persons  to 
serve  the  spirits  in  the  other  world;  and  some- 
times in  the  more  serious  custom  of  the  suicide  of 
widows. 

And  so  in  those  very  early  ages  of  China,  an- 
cestral worship  grew  up  and  gradually  developed; 
until  1000  B.  C.,  it  came  to  be  practiced  with 
regularly  established  rites, 

When  Confucius  appeared  on  the  stage  then, 
551  B.  C.,  ancestral  worship  was  already  in  ex- 
istence. Yet  its  influence  at  that  time  was  com- 
paratively small.  Even  he  did  not  know  the 
burial  place  of  his  father,  who  died  while  he  was 
an  infant;  and  did  not  seek  it  out  until  the  death 
of  his  mother  when  he  was  twenty-four  years  old. 
Yet  to  him  more  than  an}r  other  is  due  the  power 
of  this  religion.  He  did  this  by  making  Filial 
Piety  the  basis  and  cementing  bond  of  his  whole 
system. 

Filial  * cannot  attempt  to  enumerate  all  that  is 
Y\ety  meant  by  Filial  Piety.  It  requires  that  a 
son  should  reverence  and  serve  his  parents 
while  they  live,  and  worship  them  when  dead. 
A practical  instance  of  filial  devotion  to  living 
parents  is  related  of  a lad  whose  parents  had  no 
mosquito  nets.  At  the  age  of  eight  he  was  in  the 
habit  of  going  to  bed  very  early,  and  lying  quiet 
all  night,  without  even  a fan,  in  order  that  the 
mosquitoes  might  gorge  themselves  on  him 
alone,  and  allow  his  parents  to  sleep  in  peace. 
Instances  are  mentioned  of  sons  whose  extreme 
filial  devotion  led  them,  on  the  death  of  a parent, 

33 


FII/IAI,  PIETY 


to  build  a hut 
near  the  grave 
and  going-  to  live 
there  during  the 
three  3'ears  pre- 
scribed as  the 
time  of  mourning. 

Confucius  says, 
“Filial  duty  ' is 
the  root  of  virtue, 
and  the  stem  from 
which  instruction 
m moral  princi- 
ples springs 
forth."  It  seems 
to  take  the  place 
of  piety  to  God 
with  us.  The 
principle  is  not 
confined  to  the 
family,  but  rest- 
ing on  the  broad 
principle  of  obedi- 
ence and  rever- 
ence to  all  superi- 
ors, it  extends 
from  the  family 
circle  as  its  centre 
out  into  every  de- 
partment of  life, 
as  the  basis  of  all 
society  and  of  all 
government.  The 
Empire  is  a cast 
family,  of  which 
the  Emperor  is 


34 


the  father  on  earth,  and  Heaven  above  is  his 
Father — the  Emperor  being  called  the  Son  of 
Heaven.  He  is  supposed  to  rule  the  people  on 
the  principle  of  paternal,  moral  power,  rather 
than  material. 

While  this  Utopian  idea  has  been  far  from  being 
realized,  yet  it  has  had  a mighty  influence  in 
making  the  nation  the  most  ancient  and  populous 
in  the  world.  This  has  largely  come  from  the 
fact  of  Filial  Piety  rising  up  and  developing  into 
the  great  religion  of  Ancestral  Worship,  until  it 
has  long  grown  to  be  the  very  heart  of  the  re- 
ligion of  China. 

Confucius  said,  “If  funeral  rites  are  performed 
with  scrupulous  care,  and  remote  ancestors  duly 
recognized,  the  virtues  of  the  people  will  be 
sti'engthened.”  On  these  words  as  a foundation, 
has  grown  up  the  religious  policy  of  the  Chinese 
nation,  until  ancestral  worship  has  become  inter- 
woven with  every  other  religion  of  the  land,  and 
with  the  whole  social  system  of  the 
Refl  government.  it  enters  into  every 

e lgion  thing.  It  is  far  more  powerful  than 
all  other  religions  combined.  Other  forms  of  re- 
ligion may  be  observed  or  not,  but  this  is  binding 
on  all,  from  the  Emperor  down  to  the  very  lowest 
of  the  people.  Its  hold  upon  the  people  is  indeed 
tremendous,  until  it  is  true  as  has  been  well  said, 
“that  the  living  are  in  the  grip  of  the  dead.” 

The  power  of  ancestral  worship  lies  practically 
in  the  belief  of  the  conscious  existence  and  pres- 
ence of  the  spirits  of  their  ancestors.  They  think 
that  there  are  three  parts  to  the  spirit.  One  goes 
with  the  body  into  the  grave.  One,  either  as- 
cends as  vapor  to  heaven,  or  is  carried  off  to 
purgatory;  and  a hole  is  often  made  in  the  roof 

35 


of  the  house  to  help  the  exit  of  the  spirit;  and  also 
a piece  of  silver  is  put  into  the  mouth  of  the  dead 
for  the  spirit  to  use  in  paying  toll.  A third  part 
remains  present  in  the  tablet  erected  in  their 
homes.  While  we  often,  as  has  been  said,  banish 
the  portraits  of  our  grandfathers  to  the  garret, 
the  Chinese  erect  a tablet  to  theirs,  back  four  gen- 
erations, in  the  principal  room  of  their  home. 
Before  this  every  member  of  the  family  prostrate 
themselves  twice  a month,  at  the  new  and  full 
moon.  All  important  events  of  the  famil}-  are 
celebrated  before  the  ancestral  tablet.  Besides 
this,  one  tribe  or  clan,  numbering  sometimes  a 
whole  town  of  20,000  people,  have  a common 
grand  ancestral  temple,  which  is  the  gathering 
place  of  the  clan.  Every  year  in  the  second  and 
third  months,  all  the  cities  and  towns  and  villages 
throughout  the  Empire  pour  forth  their  mass  of 
people,  going  out  to  the  cemeteries  to  renew 
their  family  graves,  and  lay  their  offerings  upon 
them. 

The  true  root  of  this  worship  of  filial  piety 
seems  to  be  a mixture  of  those  two  powerful  mo- 
tives, fear  and  self-love.  The  practice  brings,  they 
think,  not  only  happiness  to  the  deceased  spirits 
themselves,  but  also  averts  calamaties  from  the 
living,  which  the  spirits  have  power  to  inflict,  if 
made  angry  through  neglect;  and  also  brings 
down  blessings,  which  the  spirit  hovering  over 
them  as  a protecting  power,  has  the  ability’  to 
bestow.  This  is  the  reason  why  the  bones  of  so 
many  Chinese  who  die  abroad  are  sent  home  to 
China  for  burial.  They  desire  to  lie  where  their 
descendants  can  visit  their  tombs,  and  perform 
those  rites,  without  which  they  would  have  no 
food  or  clothing,  or  friends  in  the  spirit  world. 

36 


What  miserable,  forlorn,  poverty-stricken  spirits 
they  imagine  they  would  be  with  no  one  to  wor- 
ship at  their  tombs. 

. In  all  this  we  see  the  reason  why 

offspring  the  Chinese  are  so  desirous  for  off- 

spring. Mencius  said,  “There  are 
three  things  which  are  unfilial,  and  to  have  no 
posterity  is  the  greatest  of  them.”  They  want 
children  to  keep  alive  the  family  altar,  and  cause 
peace  to  come  to  their  own  spirits  when  gone 
from  earth.  And  this  again  is  a reason  for  the 
enormous  population  of  China.  All  sons  are  re- 
quired to  marry  early,  and  it  is  no  uncommon 
thing  for  a man  to  be  a grandfather  at  thirty-six. 
This  belief  too  is  a powerful  stimulus  for  living 
and  acting  as  in  the  sight  of  their  ancestors. 
The  war  cry  on  their  field  of  battle,  and  school 
cry  in  their  halls  of  learning  is,  “Reflect  glory  on 
v our  ancestors.” 

But  these  theories  and  beliefs  about  deceased 
spirits,  did  not  come  from  the  teachings  of  Confu- 
cius. The}"  have  come  in  since  from  other  sources. 
He  believed  in  a future  existence,  but  refused  to 
teach  anything  as  to  the  condition  of  the  soul 
after  death.  He  said,  “If  we  know  not  life,  how 
can  we  know  death?”  He  inculated  the  rites  of 
ancestral  worship  rather  as  a part  of  his  grand 
doctrine  of  Filial  Piety,  but  taught  nothing  about 
the  gods.  The  reason  is  that  Confucius  never 
pretended  to  teach  a religion,  but  only  a system 
of  positive,  practical  philosophy. 

And  yet  from  this  has  grown  Confu- 
The  Great  cianism,  which  is  a religion,  and  the 
great  religion  of  China.  On  this  sys- 
tem has  grown,  not  only  ancestral  worship,  but 
also  the  worship  of  Nature,  of  deified  Sages  and 

37 


Heroes,  among  whom  Confucius  himself  holds  the 
first  place.  Not  only  have  his  sayings  become 
the  household  words  of  every  family,  and  his 
writings  the  text  book  of  every  school,  and  his 
doctrines  the  principle  of  government  in  every 
part  of  the  Empire;  but  beautiful  temples  areerect- 
ed  to  him  all  over  the  land,  and  images  of  him 
set  up  in  all  the  school-rooms,  before  which  every 
boy  must  worship  on  entering  school.  Every 
official  of  the  nation,  from  the  Emperor  down, 
must  worship  him  twice  a year.  In  their  Ritual 
is  a pean  to  him  in  these  words: 

Confucius!  Confucius!  How  great  is  Confucius! 

Before  Confucius  there  never  was  a Confucius! 

Since  Confucius  there  never  has  been  a Confucius! 

Confucius!  Confucius!  How  great  is  Confucius! 

Tauism  ^auist  sect>  like  Confucianism,  is 

native  to  the  soil  of  China.  It  sprung 
from  Lautsz,  who  was  contemporary  with  Con- 
fucius. He  wrote  a remarkable  little  book  of  five 
thousand  characters,  which  contains  his  philos- 
ophy. This  is  a historical  fact.  But  fabulous 
story  says,  that  his  name  is  called  Lautsz,  mean- 
ing “Old  Bov,7'  because  his  mother  carried  him  in 
her  womb  eighty  years,  and  he  was  then  born 
with  a white  beard.  After  living  808  years, 
when  about  to  withdraw  from  sight,  he  was  re- 
quested to  write  a book;  which  he  did,  and  it 
is  his  philosophy.  After  that,  the  last  that  was 
seen  of  him,  was  his  riding  westward  on  a 
black  ox,  of  which  bronze  figures  may  be  •seen 
all  over  China. 

His  book  is  full  of  mystic  sayings  and  absurd 
speculations,  Confucius  once  met  him  and  com- 
plained, he  could  not  understand  him.  No  won- 
der, for  no  one  could.  There  is  very  little  con- 

38 


nection  between  the  philosophy  of  his  book,  and 
the  religion  which  sprung  from  it.  The  name 
Tauism  comes  from  the  word  To,  which  means 
Reason.  So  Rationalism  or  materialism,  might 
be  applied  to  the  philosophy,  but  not  to  the  re- 
ligion; for  it  is  Spiritualism,  with  all  the  attend- 
„ . _ ants,  of  mediums,  rappings,  com- 

H mumeations,  and  table  turnings, 

of  which  our  modern  Spiritualism  can  boast. 
Yet  this  spiritualistic  religion  seems  to  have 
sprung  from  the  materialistic  philosophy  of 
its  founder.  That  is,  that  the  soul  is  material — 
of  the  same  substance  as  the  body,  only  more 
refined.  The  soul  naturally  would  perish;  but 
it,  and  the  body  even  too,  by  a course  of  disci- 
pline, may  be  saved  from  destruction — etherial- 
ized,  and  wafted  away  into  a state  of  corporeal 
immortality,  and  live  amid  the  abodes  of  the 
Fairy  Genii.  In  this  way  all  space  about  us 
was  filled  with  immortals:  peopled  with  good 
and  evil  genii,  which  presided  over  nature,  and 
had  a powerful  influence  over  the  destinies  of 
man.  Some  wandered  at  will  through  all  space, 
and  some  rose  to  the  heavens,  and  presided 
among  the  stars  and  divinities. 


might  immortality  be  attained,  but 


Not  only 

also  long  life  in  this  world.  So  this  belief  early 
became  veiw  popular.  The  medicine  of  immortal- 
ity, the  Elixir  of  life,  came  to  be  eagerly  sought 
for.  An  Emperor,  300  B.  C.,  fitted  out  an  expe- 
dition to  search  for  the  isle  which  was  supposed 
to  be  the  land  of  immortals,  and  bring  from  hence 
the  herb  of  immortality. 

About  the  time  of  Christ,  or  before  it,  China 
was  filled  with  the  superstitions  of  this  Tauism. 
While  some  of  its  absurdities  may  have  been  mod- 

39 


Magicians 


ifiecl  in  the  course  of  time:  yet,  its  belief  in  spirits 
and  their  interference  with  men,  is  very  powerful 
still.  For  mercenary  reasons,  Tauism  seems  to 
change  all  the  spirits  of  the  dead  into  maleovlent 
spirits.  And  so  the  Chinese  think  that  hosts  of 
them,  though  we  see  them  not,  swarm  all  about 
us  seeking  to  inflict  injury'.  They  haunt  houses. 
They  lurk  in  dark  places.  Every  wood  and 
mountain,  river  and  street  are  filled  with  ghosts. 
Their  weird  sounds  may  be  heard  in  the  darkness 
of  the  night,  when  the  wind  is  howling  about. 
They  may  assume  the  form  of  some  animal,  or  of 
a man  or  a woman,  in  order  to  entrap  the  un- 
wary'. They  may  take  demonical  possession  of 
their  victim,  and  produce  pining  sickness  or  frenzy'. 

So  it  was,  that  an  order  of  Magici- 
ans early'  arose  who  pretended,  that 
not  only  the  Elixir  of  life  could  be  found,  but  that 
they'  had  connection  with,  and  control  over,  the 
unseen  world  of  spirits. 

The  first  of  these  magicians  was  one  Chang, 
who  lived  in  the  first  century'  after  Christ,  and 
dwelt  in  the  Lung  Fu  Mountains.  He  had,  they' 
thought,  all  power  over  spirits — was  their  repre- 
sentative in  the  world;  and  so  the  Pope  of  Tau- 
ism on  earth.  Now  for  2000  years  nearly',  he 
has  continued  to  live  in  these  mountains.  The 
spirit  of  the  first  Pope  has  transmigrated  from 
one  Chang  down  to  another,  to  the  present  day. 
This  Pope  has  power  to  imprison  the  spirits; 
and  is  said  to  have  in  his  mountain  home  thous- 
ands ofjars  in  rows,  all  holding  demons  which  he 
has  shut  up  there.  Every'  magician  has  more  or 
less  power  over  evil  spirits,  and  carries  on  quite  a 
thriving  business  in  preparing  amulets  and 
charms  of  various  kinds  for 

40 


warding  them  off. 


A few  years  ago  many  were  startled  by  the  sudden 
and  unaccountable  disappearance  of  their  cues. 
There  was  a panic.  It  was  the  work  of  evil  spi- 
rits. There  was  a run  on  the  charm  magicians, 
who  were  likely  its  real  cause.  It  was  found  that 
four  characters  mysteriously  woven  together  and 
wrapped  up  in  the  cue,  effectually  warded  them 
off.  This  fear  of  spirits  gives  rise  to  a large 
amount  of  worship  being  offered  them,  in  order 
•to  appease  thor  anger  and  gain  their  favor.  The 
Chinese  act  largely  on  the  principle  that  it  is  not 
so  important  to  worship  good  spirits,  who  will 
not  harm  them  anyway;  but  it  is  very  important 
to  be  on  good  terms  with  the  devil. 

A great  superstition  of  Tauism  is  the  famous 
one  of  “Fung  Shui” — Wind  and  Water.  It  is  an 
invisible,  intangible,  but  all-pervading  force, 
which  is  as  real  to  the  Chinese  as  the  air  he 
breathes.  The  theory  is  that  certain  influences  in 
the  configuration  and  exposures  of  the  surface  of 
the  earth  affect  the  locality.  So  due  regard  must 
be  paid  to  a great  many  different  kinds  of  influ- 
ences in  selecting  sites  for  houses,  and  especially 
graves.  The  doors  and  windows  of  a house  must 
be  so  arranged  as  to  keep  out  evil  influences  and 
be  in  harmony  with  Fung  Shui,  A certain  viceroy 
issued  an  edict  in  opposition  to  the  European 
houses  on  a certain  hill,  because  the  dragon  upon 
which  the  foundation  of  the  city  rested,  had  his 
veins  and  arteries  under  the  hill,  and  the  weight 
of  the  houses  would  hurt  him.  In  locating  graves, 
if  a coffin  is  interred  in  a wrong  place,  the  spirit 
of  the  dead  is  unhappy,  and  revenges  itself  by 
causing  sickness  and  calamaties  to  come  upon  the 
living  relations.  They  have  Geomancers  who 
often  get  large  sums  for  their  supposed  skill  in  lo- 

41 


eating  a grave. 

Tauism,  during  the  centuries  before  Christ  was 
not  a religion,  but  only  a crude  mass  of  indigest- 
ed superstitions.  In  order  however  to  compete 
with  Buddhism  when  it  was  introduced  into 
China,  it  established  temples,  priests,  ritual  of 
worship,  and  all  the  paraphernalia  of  a full-fledg- 
ed religion.  It  established  a purgatory,  sotne- 
p what  similar  to  that  of  the  Buddhists. 

urga  ory  ma(je  to  be  located  at  the  bot- 

tom of  the  ocean,  which  lies  down  in  the  depths 
of  the  earth.  From  the  courts  of  this  purgator- 
ial region,  a code  of  laws  was  published  and 
sealed  by  their  great  god  Yu  Yai,  and  circulated 
on  earth  by  spirits.  This  document  set  forth 
the  future  rewards  and  punishments  of  men.  In 
some  temples,  pictures  of  the  terrible  punishment 
of  the  ten  courts  of  this  Purgatory  are  exibited  in 
what  is  called,  “The  Chamber  of  Horrors.”  All 
who  have  a balance  of  evil  against  them  when 
they  die,  have  to  pass  through  the  fires  of  purga- 
tory, and  then  be  born  again  on  earth  to  pass 
through  a second  trial.  Then  if  they  behave  well, 
they  may  enter  into  some  happy  state;  but  if  not, 
then  they  are  dragged  hy  horrid  devils  through 
all  the  courts,  suffering  the  torments,  ol  having  their 
bones  beaten,  muscles  and  tongues  drawn  out, 
hearts  ground  in  a mill,  dogs  eat  their  intestines, 
and  so  on,  until,  at  last,  they  have  to  be  born 
again  on  earth  in  some  horrible  form,  and  at 
death  suffer  eternal  tortures. 

It  is  a remarkable  fact,  that  when  Confucianism 
and  Tauism  were  the  sole  religions  of  China, 
idols  were  unknown.  After  the  image  of  Buddha 
was  introduced,  then  the}^  began  to  appear. 
From  that  time  they  multiplied  fast,  until  now 

42 


they  are  innumerable.  As  Tauism  is  material  in 
its  character,  man}’ of  the  most  popular  gods,  if 
we  may  draw  a iine,  belong  to  this  school,  as  the 
god  of  fire,  of  wealth,  of  war,  of  rain,  of  medicine, 
of  the  kitchen,  and  so  on.  While  the  Chinese 
make  a distinction  of  gods  in  name,  they  make 
little  in  fact.  The  god  of  war  is  just  as  likely  to 
be  worshipped  for  rain  as  the  rain  god,  and  the 
goddess  of  mere}'  may  take  the  place  of  either. 
Dr.  A.  H.  Smith  tells  of  the  principle  character  in 
All  Gods  one  novels,  as  being  a monkey 

Alike  hatched  from  a stone;  and  gradually 

developed  by  evolution  into  a man. 
In  some  places  this  imaginary  being  is  worshipped 
for  rain  to  the  exclusion  of  all  other  gods.  In  the 
Chinese  mind  no  distinction  is  made  in  the  spirit 
world  between  the  real  and  fictitious,  between 
cause  and  effect. 

There  is  no  other  people  on  the  face  of  the  earth 
who  are  so  much  under  the  bondage  of  supersti- 
tion and  credulity.  The  noble  teachings  of  Con- 
fucius have  not  been  able  to  keep  its  followers 
from  the  fear  of  spirits,  of  devils;  and  from  all 
kinds  of  absurd  beliefs  with  which  Tauism 
abounds.  The  learned  scholar,  and  wealthy  mer- 
chant, says  Dr.  Smith,  may  be  seen  worshipping 
the  fox,  the  weasel,  the  snake  and  the  rat,  which 
are  styled,  “Their  Excellencies,”  and  are  supposed 
to  exert  important  influence  over  man’s  destiny. 
Not  many  years  ago,  he  savs,  a great  statesman 
fell  on  his  knees  before  a water  snake,  because  it 
was  supposed  to  be  an  incarnation  of  a god  which 
once  had  power  over  floods  of  waters. 

The  god  of  fire  is  very  much  feared.  Business 
men  worship  him  with  expensive  ceremonies,  as 

43 


we  take  out  insurance  policies  to  protect  against 
loss  by  fire.  A fire  some  years  ago  burned  many 
stores  in  Shanghai.  Those  who  escaped,  raised 
two  hundred  dollars,  as  a thank-offering  to  the 
god.  In  a few  weeks  another  fire  destroyed  all 
their  stores,  and  they  were  so  enraged  that  they 
vowed  never  again  to  worship  the  god  of  Fire. 
It  was  a very  bad  Insurance  Company. 

The  Chinese  do  not  always  show  high  respect 
for  their  gods.  In  time  of  drought,  after  the  god 
of  Rain  has  been  long  prayed  to  in  vain,  it  is  a 
common  thing  for  the  people  to  take  the  image 
out  of  his  temple,  and  set  him  in  the  hotest  place 
they  can  find,  that  he  may  fully  understand  how 
greatly  the  rain  is  needed.  The  Kitchen  god,  who 
at  the  end  of  the  year,  is  supposed  to  ascend  to 
heaven,  and  give  a report  of  the  conduct  of  the 
family,  often  ha§  his  mouth  covered  with 
glue,  to  prevent  his  giving  an  account  of  the  bad 
things  which  have  been  done.  I remember  often 
seeing  a god  in  one  of  the  temples  of  Canton, 
having  his  mouth  all  smeared  over  with  opium. 
It  had  been  done  by  devotees  of  the  drug,  think- 
ing it  would  be  a pleasing  offering  to  the  god. 

But  turning  from  Confucianism  and  Tauism, 
and  their  utter  failure  to  do  for  the  people  what 
they  need,  we  come  to  the  other  great  religion 
of  the  nation — Buddhism,  which  is  certainly 
D better  than  cold,  heartless  Confuci- 

amsm,  or  coarse,  material  Tauism. 
It  is  a foreign  religion  which  was  brought  from 
India  in  the  year  65  A.  D.  The  Emperor  Ming, 
in  response  to  the  reputed  saying  of  Confucius, 
‘‘that  the  Holy  One  was  to  appear  in  the  west,7’ 
and  that  a divine  teacher  of  marvelous  wisdom 
and  power,  who  was  probably  Christ,  had  ap- 

44 


pearecl  in  the 
west;  sent  an 
Embassy  to 
make  inquiries 
concerning  hirm 
On  reaching 
India,  the  Em- 
bassy met  with 
the  Buddhists; 
and  thinking 
Buddha  was 
the  one  they 
sought:  they 
brought  back 
some  priests 
and  images  of 
Buddha.  What 
might  have 
been  if  theyr 
had  gone  fur- 
ther, and  found 

Him  who  is  indeed  the  Holy  One! 

These  Buddhists  were  received  with  great  favor 
by  the  Emperor,  and  their  religion  spread  rapidly 
in  China.  It  filled  a great  want  which  had  long 
been  felt,  as  their  own  religions  had  failed  to  sup- 
ply the  want  of  their  spiritual  nature,  and  gave 
no  hope  beyond  the  grave.  Confucianism  reduced 
the  religious  element  to  its  minimum,  and  could 
not  satisfy  the  cravings  of  the  soul.  It  dealt  only 
in  the  social,  civil  relations  and  duties;  shunning 
every  thing  of  a supernatural  kind,  and  leaving 
the  problems  of  the  spiritual  world  all  unsolved. 
Tauism,  it  is  true,  revealed  a world  full  enough  of 
spirits,  and  raised  a superstitious  dread  of  the 
future,  but  gave  no  satisfactory  solving  of  the 

45 


great  question  of  immortality.  So  Buddhism,  as 
spiritual  in  its  nature,  supplied  the  lack  of  the 
other  two;  holding  out  the  hope  of  gaining  future 
happiness,  and  escaping  future  woe. 

Its  philosophy  is  laving  up  merit  by  many  repe- 
titions of  the  sacred  name,  and  by  many  acts  of 
mercy  and  charity.  In  this  way  the  pleasures  of 
sense  cease  to  allure;  and  at  last,  there  is  attain- 
ed an  utter  extinction  of  conciousness  and  absorp- 
tion into  nothingness.  According  to  Buddhism 
‘:The  greatest  of  evils  is  life,  and  the  highest  good 
is  the  nothing.”  This,  however,  requires  long 
ages  of  suffering,  and  an  infinite  amount  of  merit, 
which  few  can  hope  to  reach.  The  Chinese  are  a 
practical  people,  and  seek  for  little  more  than  to 
escape  the  suffering  in  Buddhistic  hells,  of  being 
sawn  asunder,  or  boiled  in  a cauldron  of  oil,  or 
pounded  in  a mortar,  or  of  being  saved  from  the 
doom  of  coming  back  to  earth  in  the  form  of  some 
low  animal;  and  perhaps  reaching  some  of  th£ 
thirty-three  Buddhistic  Heavens,  and  dwelling  in 
the  beautiful  palaces  of  “The  Happv  Land  of  the 
West.” 


^ . Transmigration  of  souls  is  one  of  the 

gra^on11-  great  beliefs  of  Buddhism.  When  a 
person  dies,  he  merely  passes  into  an- 
other state  of  existence;  and  starts  out  on  an  end- 
less round  of  transmigrations,  either  up  or  down, 
depending  on  the  conduct  of  his  previous  state. 
If  he  has  lived  a wholly  bad  life,  he  will  have  to 
pass  into  hell  at  once,  and  suffer  forever  without 
hope.  If  he  has  a balance  of  good  in  his  favor,  he 
will  be  entitled  to  reward.  But  if  the  bad  pre- 
vails, after  atoning  for  sin  by  suffering,  he  will 
come  into  the  world  again  and  be  born  a worm, 
a horse,  an  ox,  or  a woman,  depending  on  what 


46 


liis  character  has  been.  If  a physician  has  caused 
the  death  of  a patient  through  ignorance,  he  will 
be  changed  into  a donkey.  A missionary  tells  of 
an  old  man  in  China  who  had  favor  shown  him 
by  the  Emperor,  and  was  assured  b}r  a priest  that 
he  would  be  born  again  as  one  of  the  Emperor’s 
horses,  but  if  he  worked  well,  ate  little,  and  was 
patient,  he  would  excite  the  compassion  of  the 
gods,  and  be  born  again  into  the  world  as  a man 
of  rank.  He  afterwards  accepted  Christ,  think- 
ing he  would  rather  be  a Christian  than  a horse. 

China  abounds  in  temples.  Those  dedicated  to 
Buddha,  along  with  the  pagodas  and  shrines  of 
of  this  sect,  are  more  numerous  than  all  others 
put  together.  Some  of  the  temples  and  monaster- 
ies are  very  large  and  grand,  while  others  are 
small,  filthy  and  neglected.  The  priests  and  nuns 
who  inhabit  them,  live  an  indolent  life  and  com- 
mand little  respect  from  the  people.  Nevertheless 
they  are  patronized  in  times  of  sickness  and 
death. 


Among  the  idols  that  fill  the  temples, 
Goddess  of  none  is  so  popular  as  Kun  Yum,  the 
goddess  of  Mercy,  or  Queen  of  Heav- 
en, as  she  is  often  called.  The  state  of  absorption 
into  nothingness  was  too  ideal  and  subtle  for  the 
practical  Chinese  mind,  and  so  Buddhism  produc- 
ed this  goddess.  Just  as  she  was  ready  to  enter 
the  unconscious  state  of  Nirvana,  she  declined, 
and  chose  to  remain  where  she  could  hear  the 
cries  of  distress,  and  help  suffering  ones  in  their 
trouble.  In  a Buddhistic  temple  of  Canton,  con- 
taining five  hundred  life-sized  bronzed  images,  I 
noticed  that  the  goddess  of  Mercy,  with  her  many 
arms  to  help,  and  holding  an  infant  as  sign  of  her 
readiness  to  grant  the  blessing  of  offspring,  show- 


47 


ed  all  the  marks  of  holding  the  highest  place  of 
all,  in  the  hearts  of  the  worshippers. 

Between  the  three  sects  of  Confucianism,  Tau- 
ism  and  Buddhism,  there  was  at  first  conflict. 
But  lines  of  distinction  gradually  gave  way,  and 
each  fell  into  its  own  place.  Each  one  came  to 
serve  its  own  end  So  they  are  practically  blend- 
ed into  one  creed.  The  people  are  not  divided  up 
as  belonging  to  one  of  these  different  sects.  They 
are  Confucianists  first  of  all,  and  then  Tauists 
and  Buddhists  too,  all  at  the  same  time.  As  in 
medicine  the  Chinese  mix  together  a dozen  differ- 
ent kinds,  so  as  to  be  sure  and  hit  the  right 
remedy;  the}'  mix  the  different  religions  together, 
in  order  to  get  all  the  good  they  can  from  eacn. 
They  worship  their  ancestors,  and  perform 
marriage  rites  by  Confucianism,  they  protect 
themselves  from  evil  spirits,  locate  their  graves, 
and  seek  for  success  in  business, by  Tauism;  and  at 
death  perform  burial  services  by  Buddhistic  rites, 
and  com  mitt  their  souls  to  its  keeping. 

But  in  all  their  religions,  there  is  nothing  cheer- 
ful or  hopeful.  Sad  gloom  overhangs  all,  which 
nothing  but  the  Blessed  Gospel  of  Christ  can 
dispel. 


48 


MRS.  CONDIT’S  BIBLE  CLASS 


Ill 

THE 

EVOLUTION  OF  CHINA 


/ 7 HINA,  perhaps  more  than  any  other  coun- 
, try,  is  commanding  the  attention  of  the 
world. 

From  the  dark  cycles  of  the  past,  she  has  been 
slowly,  but  is  now  with  remarkable  rapidity,  evol- 
ving into  a nation  of  light  and  progress.  After 
long,  long  ages  it  has  been  interesting  to  watch 
the  old  Dragon  gradually  waken  from  sleep,  and 
turning  over  with  its  face  toward  the  dawning 
d ay . 

Since  thousands  of  years  before  Christ,  down  to 
the  Nineteenth  Century  the  Chinese  continued  to 
bear  the  same  unchanging  and  un- 
China’s  Long  changable  character.  It  has  been 
eep  well  said,  “The  Chinamen  of  3000 

B.  C.,are  the  identical  Chinamen  that  greeted  us 
at  the  opening  of  the  Treaty  Ports.  If  Confucius 
had  returned  to  China  a thousand  3rears  after 
his  death,  he  would  have  found  everything  sub- 
stantially as  he  left  it.” 

The  cause  of  China’s  long  inertia  may  be  ac- 
counted for  in  part  by  her  isolation.  Mighty 
stretches  of  deserts  behind  her,  a vast  ocean  before 
her  and  gigantic  mountains  rising  at  her  side, 
long  preserved  her  from  invasion.  Add  to  this 
her  immense  area,  her  rich,  inexhaustible  natural 

51 


resources,  and  her  enormous  population,  we  can 
easily  see  how  it  gave  her  a complete  life  of  her 
own,  and  made  her  free  from  any  dependence 
upon  the  rest  of  the  world. 

Thus  situated  during  the  long  ages  which  passed 
over  her,  she  developed  her  own  civilized  and 
Self  national  life;  which  made  her  un- 

Development  like  other  countries  that  have  had 
their  intellectual,  social  and  moral 
civilization  modified  very  greatty  by  their  contact 
one  with  another.  Not  so  China.  She  owed 
nothing  to  the  outside  world.  Her  literature, 
social  customs,  ethical  teachings  and  national 
characteristics  are  all  her  own.  Beginning  before 
the  existence  of  any  other  nation  now  upon  the 
earth,  she  grew  and  developed  into  a colossal 
nation  without  being  dependent  upon  any  other 
country  for  anything.  Surrounded  by  people 
vastfy  her  inferior,  she  learned  nothing  from  them, 
but  taught  them  all  they  knew,  whether  it  was 
“the  bright  Japanese,7’  or  “the  phlegmatic 
Korean.77  This  made  the  Chinese  with  much 
reason  regard  themselves  as  superior  to  all  other 
people,  and  to  be  indeed  “The  Middle  Kingdom,” 
with  the  rest  of  the  world  only  “outside  barbari- 
ans.” In  this  way  she  was  filled  with  overween- 
ing pride,  and  overwhelming  self-conceit. 

When  other  nations  came  showing  claims 
to  be  her  equal  and  able  to  teach  her  many  things, 
her  pride  was  sadly  shocked,  and  her  antagonism 
tremendously  aroused.  The  growth  of  long  cen- 
turies coukl  not  be  overcome  in  a*- day.  It  was  no 
easy  matter  for  her  to  be  convinced  of  her  weak- 
ness and  take  up  with  new  things,  in  preference 
to  her  own  institutions  which  had  grown  up  with 
the  strength  of  hoary  antiquit}".  Nothing  but 
~ 52 


time  and  many  rude  shocks  could  make  her  see 
the  madness  of  her  intolerable  pride,  and  to  know 
the  place  of  her  real  standing  in  the  world. 

These  severe  blows  came.  They  began  in  1842, 
at  the  close  of  the  Opium  War,  in  which  Great 
Britain  forced  the  opium  trade  upon  China.  By 
„ this  war  she  was  compelled  to  open 

Disturbed  the  ^ve  Ports  of  Canton,  Foo  Chow, 
Amoy,  Ningpo,  Shanghai,  and  cede 
to  England  the  island  of  Hong  Kong.  But  this 
weak  contest,  which  revealed  China’s  utter  power- 
lessness to  cope  with  Western  arms,  had  no  effect 
whatever  in  opening  her  ej^es  to  a sense  of  her 
weakness,  or  in  changing  her  policy  of  seeking  to 
keep  her  gates  closed  against  the  world.  She 
blindly  rushed  into  another  war  with  England 
and  France,  until  the  Treaty  of  Teinstin  in  1860 
was  ratified  within  the  sacred  walls  of  Peking. 
This  was  the  3rear  of  my  going  as  a missionary 
to  China,  and  well  I remember  that  the  allied  sol- 
diers were  still  holding  Canton. 

From  the  day  the  Allies  entered  Peking  and  put 
the  torch  to  the  Emperor’s  palace,  China’s  long 
prestige  ended,  and  she  began  to  enter  upon  a 
new  era.  By  this  treaty,  new  ports  and  the  great 
Yang-tsz  River  were  opened  to  trade.  Foreign 
Legations  for  the  first  time  were  permitted  to 
reside  at  the  capital.  Schools  were  established  for 
the  learning  of  Western  knowledge,  and  youths 
were  sent  abroad  to  be  educated.  An  Embassy 
was  sent  to  foreign  countries  to  open  diplomatic 
intercourse  with  the  Western  world;  at  the  head 
of  which  was  that  broad-minded  man,  Anson 
Burlingame,  our  first  minister  to  Peking.  But  no 
attempt  was  made  to  reform  China’s  internal 
institutions.  These  were  held  too  sacred  to  be 

53 


The  Manchus 


touched  with  the  sacreligious  hand  of  change. 
Having  after  all  been  forced  into  relations  with 
Break  the  res^  *he  wor^»  while  she  sought 
Treaties  in  a treasure  to  adapt  herself  to  the 
new  state  of  things,  she  continued  at 
the  same  time  “to  muddle  on”  in  much  the  old 
way.  The  Chinese  failed  to  keep  the  treaties 
which  she  could  not  escape  from  making,  and 
through  a long  series  of  years  man}^  anti-foreign 
riots  occured  which  manifested  their  hatred,  and 
their  desire  to  throw  off  the  yoke  of  foreign 
bondage. 

Right  here  we  need  to  draw  a broad  distinction 
between  Manchu  rulers  and  the  native  Chinese. 
In  the  seventeenth  century  the  Manchus,  hy  force 
and  treachery,  had  taken  the  Em- 
pire, and  were  themselves  a foreign 
people.  Being  an  alien  race,  small  in  numbers  in 
the  midst  of  so  vast  an  Empire,  they  suspected 
other  nations  of  a desire  to  supplant  them.  For 
this  reason  they  have  sought  to  keep  their  gates 
closed,  and  yielded  nothing  which  was  not  wrung 
from  them  b\r  force.  The  native  Chinese  on  the 
other  hand,  did  not  originally  have  a feeling  of 
hatred  toward  the  outside  world.  It  only  grew 
up  and  became  well  learned,  through  their  ignor- 
ance of  the  facts,  and  because  of  the  misguiding  in- 
fluence of  the  Manchu  rulers.  This  feeling  of  hat- 
red too,  was  one  which  foreign  powers  themselves 
were  instrumental  in  creating  l:>3r  the  way  in 
which  they  treated  the  Chinese.  The  Western 
Powers  have  ever  acted  on  the  principle  that  the 
Chinese  had  no  rights  in  their  own  county  which 
amr  were  bound  to  respect,  and  he  who  was 
strong  enough  might  take  what  he  pleased. 

The  war  between  China  and  Japan  in  1894,  laid 
54 


China's  pride  low  in  the  dust.  It  was  the  inevita- 
ble outcome  of  their  long  hatred  of  each  other. 

The  Chinese  had  great  contempt  for 
War  With  “the  dwarfs,”  and  determined  to  chas- 
apan  tise  the  insolent  pigmies;  while  the 

Japanese  were  bent  on  administering  punishment 
for  a long  series  of  insults.  The  result  was  the 
most  humiliating  blow  that  had  yet  come  to  the 
Chinese.  They  were  compelled,  at  any  cost,  to 
conclude  a treaty  with  the  nation  they  had  so  de- 
spised. 

Just  here  the  Russo-French  Alliance,  backed  by 
Germany,  stepped  in  and  warned  Japan  that  the 
natural  results  of  her  victory  over  China  would 
not  be  allowed.  She  had  to  give  up  her  demand 
for  Port  Arthur  and  Manchuria,  and  be  content 
with  the  island  of  Formosa,  and  an  indemnity  of 
money.  It  soon  became  clear  why  the  European 
powers  stopped  Japan.  They  wanted  the  spoils 
themselves.  Russia  had  long  had  her  eagle  eye  on 
China  and  Korea.  She  stretched  out  that  mighty 
arm  of  the  Siberian  Railway  across  the  desert  for 
a purpose;  and  not  being  satisfied  with  the  ice- 
bound port  of  Vladivostock,  proceeded  to  go  fur- 
ther. She  soon  adroitly  compelled  the  Chinese  to 
allow  her  to  build  her  Road  across  Man- 
Sliced  c^uria»  and  police  it  with  an  army  of 
soldiers;  to  lease  to  her  Port  Arthur  as  a 
powerful  fortress  of  defence,  and  the  magnificant 
Bay  of  Taleinwan  as  a terminus  for  her  Road. 

France  demanded  large  concessions  in  the  fine, 
rich  territories  which  she  had  wrested  from  China 
in  the  South.  And  what  shall  I say  of  Germany? 
Under  the  pretence  of  satisfaction  for  the  murder 
of  two  priests,  she  outrageously  seized  the  finest 
harbor  of  the  Coast — Kaioehow  Bay,  and  a large 

55 


portion  of  ad- 
joining* land,  as 
well  as  d e- 
manding  other 
valuable  con- 
cessions in  the 
province  of 
Shan-Tung. 

Great  Britain, 
horrified  at  the 
way  m which 
her  rivals  were 
carving  up  the 
heart  of  China, 
took  what  she 
could  get,  the 
next  best  port, 

W a i-Hai-W  a i, 
together  with 
a great  slice  of 
the  K o w 1 i n g 
Peninsula,  op- 
posit  e H ong 
Kong.  It  looked  as  if  the  time  of  the  Empire’s 
doom  had  come,  and  the  Break-up  of  China  was 
at  hand.  The  ambition  of  Russia  without  doubt 
reached  further  than  the  railway  and  military 
occupation  of  Manchuria.  Her  purpose  was  to 
hold  the  country  permanently,  seize  Korea,  march 
on  to  Peking,  and  carry  out  her  long-cherished 
plan  of  being  Ruler  of  the  East, 

Before  it  could  be  accomplished,  and  China  rent 
in  pieces,  a number  of  reasons  conspired  to  stop 
this  carving  business,  and  save  China  from  the 
vultures  of  the  world.  Mutual  fear  and  jealousy 
of  each  other,  among  the  various  nations,  was  one 
; 56 


C.  E.  BANNER. 


potent  influence.  The  Spanish  war,  bringing  the 
United  States  into  the  position  of  a Pacific, 
Asiatic  and  world-wide  power,  was  another  factor 
in  the  salvation  of  China.  And  just  here  Japan 
loomed  up  as  a power  to  be  reckoned  with.  She 
saw  that  to  prevent  the  aggression  of  Europe, 
and  save  her  own  kingdom  from  destruction, 
China  must  be  saved.  The  end  of  China  would  be 
the  beginning  of  the  down-fall  of  Japan.  They 
must  stand  or  fall  together.  For  this  reason 
Tapan  reversed  her  course  and  took  sides  with 
China. 

The  ignominious  defeat  of  China  bjr  the  Japan- 
ese made  a far  deeper  impression  upon  her  than 
that  which  any  European  power  could  possibly 
have  done.  She  began  to  ask  how  a nation  so 
inferior  in  the  past  had  now  become  so  powerful, 
excepting  by  the  adoption  of  Western  methods. 
A new  spirit  of  inquiry  began  to  arise,  and  reform 
clubs  were  openly  established  at  the  capital. 

These  sentiments  aroused  the  alarm  of 
Empress  old  conservatives,  at  whose  head 

owage  was  remarkable  woman  known 

to  the  world  as  the  Empress  Dowager.  For  half 
a century  and  more  she  has  been  directly  or  indi- 
rectly, at  the  head  of  governmental  affairs. 
Before  she  was  twenty  years  old,  as  the  beautiful, 
talented  and  well  educated  secondaiw  wife  of  the 
Emperor  Hien  Fung,  a son  was  born  to  her,  who, 
on  account  of  the  childlessness  of  his  first  wife, 
became  heir  to  the  throne.  On  the  early  death  of 
Hein  Fung,  in  1860,  her  son  became  Emperor,  and 
she  as  Regent, was  the  virtual  ruler  of  the  Empire. 
Her  son  dying  at  an  early  age,  the  Empress  suc- 
heeded  in  having  a sister’s  son,  then  only  four  and 
a half  \^ears  old,  placed  upon  the  throne  under  the 

57 


title  of  Kwong  Sui,  Illustrious  Successor.  In  this 
way  she  continued  to  rule  until  this  nephew  was 
grown  and  became  in  reality  the  Rider. 

Western  ideas,  which  had  already  found  enter- 
ance  into  the  palace,  early  took  hold  of  the  young 
Emperor.  Although  posessed  of  a delicate  body, 
he  had  at  that  time  an  active  mind, 
Reform  which  soon  showed  an  earnest  purpose 

gu  in  seeking  to  accommodate  the  govern- 
ment to  the  new  civilization  of  the  West.  His 
conversion  into  an  Ardent  reformer  was  due  more 
to  a Cantonese  doctor,  Kang  Yu  Wei,  than  to 
any  other  one  cause.  Under  his  inspiration  rapid 
strides  were  made  in  every  direction.  Schools, 
colleges  and  universities  were  establshed.  The  old 
fitness  for  office,  of  elegance  in  penmanship  and 
beauty  of  rhvthmatic  style,  was  to  be  set  aside 
for  rigid  examinations  in  sciences  and  practical 
arts.  Scientific  and  religious  books,  as  well  as 
newspapers  and  magazines,  were  published. 
Time-worn  theories,  old  stagnant  ideas,  were  to 
be  discarded.  A new  condition  of  things  was 
leavening  the  thought  and  moulding  the  minds 
of  some  of  the  best  people  of  the  Empire.  It  look- 
ed as  if  the  time  for  the  transformation  of  China 
had  really  set  in. 

However,  these  reformers  moved  too  rapidly 
and  too  radically.  Reaction  speedily  came  to  a 
nation  so  deeply  set  in  her  old,  immovable  ways. 
Some  strong  old  conservatives  horrified  at  the 
greatness  of  a number  of  the  radical  changes  pro- 
posed, petitioned  the  Empress  to  return  to  power, 
depose  the  Emperor  and  destroy  the  reformers. 
She,  with  her  marvellous  gift  of  seizing  opportuni- 
ties, denounced  the  Emperor  to  his  face,  took 
from  him  his  Seal  of  State,  made  him  a virtual 

58 


prisoner  in  his  own  palace,  and  once  more  assum- 
ed the  reins  of  government. 

„ , The  Empress  had  formerly  been 

Old  Ways  known  as  a moderate  conservative, 
and  now  professed  to  be  actuated  by 
no  hostility  to  reasonable  progress.  But  her  in- 
sincere professions  were  soon  apparent  in  her 
undoing  all  she  could  of  the  Emperor’s  work  of  re- 
form, and  pursuing  to  the  death  those  who  were 
engaged  with  him  in  canwing  it  out.  Kang  Yu 
Wei,  and  some  who  were  associated  with  him, 
being  warned  by  the  Emperor,  made  good  their 
escape;  while  six  martyrs  willingly  yielded  up 
their  lives  for  their  country’s  sake;  and  their 
blood  will  yet  prove  to  be  a part  of  the  seed  of 
the  new  China  that  is  coming. 

The  Empress  Dowager’s  vindictive  spirit  did 
not  end  here.  Each  act  of  the  foreign  powers  in 
wresting  their  countr\-  from  them,  seemed  to  add 
fury  to  her  hate.  Is  it  to  be  wondered  at?  They 
but  confirmed  her  in  her  purpose  to  drive  every 
foreigner  from  the  land,  and  go  back  to  the  good 
old  ways  of  the  past. 

When  at  this  time  the  Boxer 
movement  appeared  in  sight,  she 
hailed  it  with  delight,  and  welcomed  these  agita- 
tors as  patriots  raised  up  by  high  Heaven  to  free 
their  land  from  the  foreign  3^oke.  The  Boxers 
were  not  realty  a new  body  formed  for  the  occas- 
ion. The  Chinese  have  great  talent  for  organiza- 
tion, and  their  land  is  honey-combed  with  various 
kinds  of  secret  societies.  In  some  unknown  way 
these  joined  together,  and  brought  into  existence 
the  I-Ho-Kuen,  or  “Fists  of  Righteous  Harmony,” 
from  which  came  the  name  of  Boxers.  With  its 
secret  orders  coming  from  the  very  throne  itself, 

59 


The  Boxers 


CONDIT  CHURCH,  CHINA 

and  aided  by  the  pretence  of  supernatural  powers, 
it  spread  with  wonderful  rapidity.  It  is  still 
fresh  in  our  minds  how  many  missionaries  and 
native  Christians  suffered  death  at  their  hands. 
The  whole  movement  finally"  centered  in  the  Siege 
of  Peking,  where  were  cooped  up  the  Ministers  of 
eleven  nations,  along  with  missionaries  and  other 
foreigners,  to  the  number  of  a thousand  men, 
women  and  children;  having  under  their  protec- 
tion two  thousand  native  Christians.  As  the 
Empress  Dowager  and  her  court  escaped  from  the 
city  through  the  Western  gates,  almost  at  the 
same  time  the  Allied  deliverers  entered  at  the 
Eastern  gates,  and  were  hailed  with  unspeakable 
joy  by  that  little  beseiged  company  which  had  al- 
most despaired  of  rescue  from  the  horrible  fate 
which  stared  them  in  the  face. 

After  the  return  of  the  Empress  to  Peking,  she 
began  to  show  a marked  change  of  heart,  and  has 

60 


since  shown  her  old  time  power  of  adapting  her- 
self to  circumstances.  All  those  stirring  events 
made  a profound  impression  upon  the  Chinese 
mind,  and  was  the  turning  point  toward  a new 
life.  Under  Kwong  Sui  the  Chinese,  had  wakened 
to  the  need  of  our  Western  civilization;  but  deceiv- 
ed and  misguided  b\T  the  Empress,  they  had  fallen 
back  again.  That  now  began  to  be  succeeded  by 
a resurrection  to  life  on  a broader  scale. 

The  Great  The  war  between  Russia  and  Japan 
Awakening  bad  a marvelous  effect  upon  China. 

Nothing  can  be  more  significant  or 
impressive  than  its  unmistakeable  result  in  a- 
wakening  this  people  to  national  consciousness. 
We  had  been  trying  for  scores  of  years  to  wake 
them  up,  and  now  it  is  done.  China  can  never 
again  be  the  same  as  in  the  ages  gone  by.  She 
has  at  last  turned  her  face  from  the  past,  toward 
the  rising  sun,  and  can  never  shrink  back  into  the 
night.  The  working  of  the  leaven  of  a new  civil- 
zation  among  the  masses,  is  causing,  and  must 
cause  ferment;  but  the  agitations  that  will  go  on, 
are  not  the  death  struggles  of  a dvfing  nation. 
Thevr  are  the  signs  of  the  new  life  of  a national 
spirit  which  will  no  longer  tolerate  foreign  ag- 
gression, or  submit  to  the  unjust  treatment  which 
has  been  hitherto  forced  upon  her.  Her  cr\T  of 
‘‘China  for  the  Chinese/'  is  not  as  before,  the  anti- 
foreign  sentiment  of  wanting  nothing  to  do  with 
foreigners,  but  the  feeling  of  their  a.bility  to 
take  care  of  themselves,  without  the  assistance 
of  outsiders.  There  will  be  no  more  surrender  of 
one-sided  concessions  to  those  who  have  held  the 
whip  over  her.  They  are  fast  learning  to  develop 
their  own  resources  and  manage  their  own  affairs. 

New  ideas,  new  ambitions,  and  new  methods 
61 


are  rapidly  freeing  China  from  her  old,  antiquated 
ways.  The  irresistible  tide  of  progress  is  surely 
undermining  former  beliefs,  and  eausing  man}"  of 
them  to  fall  into  irrecoverable  ruin.  As  a small 
illustration  of  this,  a missionary  writing  from 
Paotingfu,  of  changes  there,  says,  “To  show 
how  little  the\r  care  for  the  heathen  gods,  when 
needing  the  small  temples  for  police  stations, 
the\r  east  the  gods  out  into  the  moat,  where  one 
can  see  them  in  crossing  the  bridge,  broken  and 
discarded.  The  temples  of  Peking  and  other  cities 
are  fast  disappearing,  and  being  converted  into 
schools. 

Western  Western  learning  has  become  a real 

Education  passion,  and  I look  upon  the  intel- 
lectual uprising  of  the  Chinese  as 
one  of  the  most  wonderful  ever  seen  in  the  life 
of  any  nation.  Only  eight  short  years  ago,  the 
Empress  Dowager  treated  new  plans  of  reform 
with  scornful  hate,  and  drove  the  }^oung  Emperor 
from  his  throne  for  advocating  them,  Nov/ 
among  other  amazing  changes,  comes  this  aston- 
ishing one.  By  her  imperial  decree,  the  ancient 
s\rstem  of  examinations  is  clear  gone  forever,  and 
Confueian  classics  relegated  to  a back  seat. 
The  great  Examination  Hall  of  Peking  where  for 
long  centuries  China’s  Rulers  were  made,  has 
been  transformed  into  a Naval  College.  The  only 
pathway  now  open  to  the  Chinese  scholar  for 
advancement,  is  Irv  the  way  of  Western  education. 
Colleges  abound  everywhere.  In  the  one  province 
of  Chili  for  example,  fourteen  have  been  establish- 
ed, which  are  to  help  furnish  students  for  the 
grand,  governmental  university  at  Teintsin;  and 
five  thousand  primary  schools  have  been  estab- 
lished in  the  province  to  feed  these  colleges.  Not 

62 


less  than  eleven  thousand  are  in  the  colleges  and 
universities  of  Japan;  a thousand  in  Europe;  and 
still  larger  numbers  in  their  own  land.  Thous- 
ands would  come  to  the  United  States  if  they  did 
not  have  to  go  through  the  humiliating  indigni- 
ties which  await  them  her  in  order  to  enter  our 
country.  We  are  losing  golden  opportunities  of 
educating  those  who  are  to  be  the  future  rulers  of 
China. 

Newspapers  and  all  kinds  of  printed  matter,  by 
the  aid  of  cheap  postage,  are  flooding  the  land. 
Where  there  were  one  hundred  post  offices  four 
3'ears  ago,  to-day  there  are  nearW  two  thousand. 
Through  this  means,  papers  are  being  read  in  all 
parts  of  the  Empire  by  a people  who  are  not  only 
able  to  read,  but  eagerly  thirsting  for  knowledge. 
The  native  press  has  taken  rapid  strides  in  help- 
ing to  guide  the  affairs  of  the  country.  Says  a 
native  paper,  “A  good  newspaper  is  worth  many 
gunboats  at  the  present  time." 

China  has  a woman's  daily  paper  edited  by  a 
woman!  Is  there  an\Tthing  like  it  under  the  sun? 
The  paper  stands  out  clear  and  strong  for  every 
kind  of  reform,  and  a club  of  prominent  Chinese 
women  has  been  formed  in  Peking  for  the  reading 
of  this  paper,  and  the  study  of  social  subjects. 
Foot-binding  is  doomed.  An  imperial  decree  has 
been  issued,  that  no  father  shall  be  employed  in 
government  service,  whose  wife  or  daughter,  have 
their  feet  bound. 

China  has  her  military  schools,  where  the 
brightest  of  her  young  men  are  being  educated  for 
service  on  land  and  sea.  Being  trained  for  gener- 
ations to  peaceful,  plodding  industry;  they  can- 
not become  warlike  in  a dat\  But  the  time  is 
fast  coming,  if  not  already  here,  when  they  will 

63 


assert  themselves,  and  joining  with  Japan,  will  by 
commercial  and  industrial,  even  more  than  by 
armed  force,  hold  all  Asia  in  their  hands.  An 
army  of  a million  men  will  ere  long,  be  ready  to 
be  put  in  the  field,  and  equipped  with  all  the  ap- 
pliances of  modern  warfare,  by  which  the  nation 
will  be  able,  not  only  to  protect  itself  in  no  un- 
mistakable manner,  but  also  do  aggressive  work. 
There  is  no  limit  to  the  number  of  men  which  she 
can  furnish.  And  the  Chinese  have  long  been 
known,  when  properly  drilled  and  officered,  to 
make  the  most  efficient  kind  of  soldiers.  They  are 
fatalists  who  do  not  believe  it  possible  for  one  to 
die  before  his  time  comes.  This  makes  them  fight- 
ers, who  are  fearless  of  death,  and  full  of  active 
courage. 

The  Chinese  are  possessed  of  great 
Qualities  physical  vitality,  as  their  age-long  en- 
durance abundently  testifies.  Aside 
from  the  vice  of  opium  they  have  shown  no  signs 
of  race  decay — And  as  the  Japanese  by  law  have 
exterminated  opium  from  their  land,  I believe  his- 
tor}T  will  record  the  wonderful  feat  of  the  Chinese 
by  the  same  drastic  measures,  freeing  themselves 
from  the  deadly  grasp  of  this  monster.  The  Chi- 
nese are  not  guilty  of  the  crime  of  race  suicide. 
God’s  command,  “Be  fruitful  and  replenish  the 
earth,*’  some  one  has  said,  is  one  which  has  been 
obeyed,  and  the  only  command  of  God  that  ever 
has  been  obeyed. This  is  certainly  true  of  no  coun- 
try more  than  China. 

She  has  not  only  the  physical  qualifications, 
but  other  kinds  which  eminently  fit  her  for  the 
new  national  life  upon  which  she  is  entering. 
They  are  a people  who  are  intelligent,  teachable, 
capable,  and  law-abiding.  They  can  learn  anv- 

64 


thing  and  do  anything.  They  are  the  most  up- 
right of  merchants,  with  the  commercial  instinct, 
which  makes  them  keen,  far-seeing  business  men. 
They  are  the  best  of  artisans  and  workmen,  in  all 
kinds  of  skilled  and  unskilled  labor.  They  are  too 
good  for  us.  “We  first  invited  them  to  our  shores, 
but  now  for  decades  of  years,  have  treated 
them  as  criminals  because,  forsooth,  of  their  un- 
fortunate industry,  economy  and  sobriety. 

One  of  the  very  first  things  which  an  awakened 
Chinese  saw,  was  the  injustice  and  unreasonable- 
ness of  our  Exclusion  Law  against  them.  Our 
treatment  of  them  under  this  law  makes  the 
blood  of  every  intelligent  Chinaman  to  boil  with 
righteous  wrath.  We  have  done  everything  we 
could  to  insult  and  outrage  their  feelings,  and 
arouse  against  us  a national  indignation.  They 
would  not  object  to  a decent  kind  of  intelligent 
exclusion,  but  treating  them  as  we  would  not 
dare  do  an}''  other  self-respecting  nation  under 
the  sun,  they  will  stand  it  no  longer.  No  wonder 
they  at  last  struck  back  at  us  with  the  Boycott, 
until  we  deeply  felt  its  smart.  Though  it  seems 
to  have  ended;  yet  the  anti-American  feeling  still 
lives  and  rankles  in  their  hearts.  Nothing  but  a 
reasonable  modification  of  the  Exclusion  Law 
would  seem  able  to  prevent  serious  trouble  from 
arising  against  us  in  some  form. 

The  past  two  years  or  more  mark 
Trouble  marvelous  advance  which  arouses  our 

i< 

astonishment.  Even  now  they  are  be- 
ginning to  agitate  and  look  forward  to  the  es- 
tablishment of  a Constitutional  Government. 
For  this,  however,  and  for  many  other  changes 
which  are  going  on,  the  mass  of  the  people  are 
scarcely  prepared;  and  times  of  reaction  may  yet 

65 


follow.  There  is  great  unrest  in  China,  and  it  is 
a critical  time.  It  is  impossible  now  to  say  what 
the  future  will  bring  forth.  The  all-mastering, 
peace-loving  character  of  the  Chinese  people  may 
carry  them  through;  or  will  the  new  life  bring 
them  into  scenes  of  riot  and  bloodshed?  Will  re- 
forms stand  the  test  of  opportunity  for  power 
and  ambition?  Judging  by  the  past  history  of 
China  and  of  other  nations,  we  may  look  for 
troubled  times.  Row  absorbing  the  interest 
which  gathers  around  the  coming  years  in  China. 
May  it  be  years  of  evolution  and  not  of  revolu- 
tion and  anti-dynastic  anarchy. 

Whatever  may  be  the  outcome  of  China’s  pres- 
ent mighty  changes,  it  is  certain  that  we  should 
seek  to  have  the  principles  of  Christianity  enter 
into  the  new  structure  that  is  being  built.  In  the 
past  it  has  borne  an  unmistakable  part. 
Chirnaian  ^adty  handicapped  though  mission 
work  has  been  by  having  to  follow  in 
the  wake  of  treaties  imposed  upon  the  Chinese  by 
force,  and  of  being  associated  in  their  minds  with 
the  many  wrong  acts  of  so  called  Christian  na- 
tions; still  in  spite  of  this  it  has  borne  a noble 
share;  which  those  who  have  known  best  the  facts, 
have  been  the  most  glad  to  acknowledge.  That 
eminent  Viceroy,  Tuan  Fong,  who  stood  so  nobly 
by  foreigners  in  the  Boxer  troubles,  said  while  in 
New  York,  “Missionaries  have  borne  the  light  of 
Western  civilization  into  every  nook  and  corner  of 
the  Empire.  They  have  rendered  inestimable  ser- 
vice in  China  by  the  laborous  task  of  translating 
into  the  Chinese  language,  religious  and  scientific 
works  of  the  West.  They  help  us  to  bring  happi- 
ness and  comfort  to  the  poor  and  the  suffering  by 
the  establishing  of  hospitals  and  schools.  The  a- 

66 


wakening  of  China  which  now  seems  to  be  at 
hand,”  he  says,  “may  be  traced  in  no  small  meas- 
ure to  the  hand  of  the  missionary.” 

In  the  brighter  outlook  which  is  looming  up  be- 
fore China,  to  the  Christian,  there  is  one  dark 
cloud  hanging  over  the  horizon.  Japan  has  an 
immense  and  growing  influence  in  the  educational 
as  well  as  political  affairs  of  China.  Nearly  all 
their  civil  and  military  schools  and  colleges  are 
manned  by  Japanese,  and  their  hand  is  back  of 
almost  every  movement  that  is  going  on.  While 
we  believe  they  are  honestly  striving  to  do  for 
China  what  they  have  done  in  their  own  country, 
yet  this  means  a civilization  only  on  the  side  of  a 
materialistic  and  scientific  education,  lacking  the 
Christian  and  ethical  basis  which  gives  to  it  its 
true  power.  If  it  is  to  be  a purely  secular  educa- 
tion, destitute  of,  or  antagonistic  to,  Christian 
teachings,  it  will  produce  incalculable  harm. 
Western  civilization  in  its  self  is  destitute  of  the 
moral  qualities  and  force  necessary  to  regenerate 
the  heart.  With  the  old,  wornout  Chinese  ideals 
shattered  in  pieces,  there  must  be  the  new  ideals 
of  Christian  principle  to  replace  them,  or  the 
whole  structure  will  fall  in  ruins. 

But  we  hope  for  better  things.  In  Japan  there 
is  a body  of  people  growing  up  and  spreading 
abroad,  who  are  possessed  of  deep  Christian  con- 
victions. While  tfien  the  Japanese  are  pouring  in 
their  progressive  influence  upon  China,  the  Christ- 
ian element  will  be  there  to  go  with  it. 

In  China  itself  too  the  mission  work 
Work°n  *s  making  a deep  impression.  A native 
church  is  spread  over  the  land  which 
numbers  to-day  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
communicants,  and  probably  a half  million  more 

67 


who  are  convinced  of  the  truth  of  Christianity, 
but  have  not  courage  to  profess  their  belief.  Men 
of  the  highest  intellectual  and  official  standing  are 
showing  favor  to  the  missionary  and  his  work; 
while  the  people,  though  they  make  little  of  reli- 
gion, do  not  oppose  its  progress.  The  missionary 
is  attacked  b3'  mobs  in  China,  not  because  of  his 
religion,  but  for  the  reason  that  he  is  a foreigner. 
Christianity  will  have  an  open  door  and  untram- 
elled  chance  to  reach  the  minds  and  hearts  of  the 
Chinese.  One  of  the  latest  and  most  startling 
events  is  the  introduction  of  the  New  Testament 
into  the  public  schools  of  the  provinces  of  Hupeh 
and  Hunan,  where  eight  years  ago  missionaries 
could  not  reside  nor  teach,  only  at  the  peril  of 
their  lives.  Now  comes  the  amazing  decree  of 
the  viceroy,  declaring,  that  Western  nations  hav- 
ing sources  of  power  that  China  does  not  possess, 
and  believing  it  lies  in  the  superiority  of  the 
Christian's  Bible,  he  orders  that  the  Bible  shall 
take  a place  beside  the  writings  of  Confucius  in 
the  instruction  of  Chinese  boys.  We  are  standing 
face  to  face  with  the  greatest  problem  and  gravest 
responsibility  that  has  ever  come  before  the 
Christian  world. 

Alas,  as  a nation  we  have  been  following  a 
short-sighted  policy.  It  has  been  well  said,  “We 
once  professed  that  all  mankind  are  created  free 
and  equal,  but  the  Chinese  have  not  the  remotest 
idea  that  we  ever  held  such  a sentiment.”  Let  us 
put  ourselves  in  a position  to  give  the  Gospel  to  a 
great  people,  whom  God  has  raised  up  and  kept 
intact  so  long,  for  a grand  destiny  in  the  )Tears 
to  come. 


68 


Date  Due 


km&am$r 

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PRINTED 

IN  U.  S.  A. 

! PHOTOMOUNT 

| PAMPHLET  BINDER 

/«w 

Manufactured  by 
I GAYLORD  BROS.  Inc. 
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